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| Sunday, 4 May 2003 |
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Postal workers plan protest strike on Tuesday by CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE The Post Prevention Trade Union Front, comprising nine postal and telecommunication unions, are planning a country-wide strike on May 6, to protest against the failure of the Ministry of Mass Communications to grant their demands. Around 18,000 postal workers from islandwide post offices are expected stay off work on Tuesday. According to trade union sources, the demands include the rectification of salary anomalies in postal departments, revision of promotions according to seniority, imposition of restrictions on private agency post offices, construction of new post offices, recruitment of personnel for 700 vacant posts of postmen and revision of 'postman delivery areas'. The convenor of the Front and the treasurer of Sri Lanka Post and Telecommunication Services Union, Vivekanandalingam, said that the union had resorted to trade union action because of prolonged inaction by the authorities to respond to their demands. "Mass Communications Minister Imthiyaz Bakeer Markar agreed to in principle at his ministry in August, 2002, and promised to fulfil them, but nothing has been done so far despite our repeated requests," he said. Vivekanandalingam said that their trade union action would be restricted to one day, but warned that they would continue with the strike if they did not get a favourable response from the ministry and the management of the postal department. He said that the Postal Front had already informed the ministry and the postal department about their planned action. However, Post Master General, Piyasena, said he had not been officially informed of the demands, but admitted that he had learned about the trade union action through newspapers. "But, nevertheless, I am trying to negotiate with them," he said. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Mass Communications, H. Sumanapala, said that problems over promotions in the postal department, had been reduced to a great extent. He said that discussions were being held with the Treasury and the Ministry of Public Administration to resolve the salary anomalies problem. Sumanapala said that the Institute of Sri Lanka Development Administration of the Public Administration Ministry was restructuring a programme for post and telecommunication sectors, which would be released within the next three months. "This will be a key programme in resolving problems in the postal department, which would benefit all its workers," he said. |
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