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| Sunday, 21 March 2004 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Docs set the trend : 'Govt. clueless of ground reality' by DEEPAL WARNAKULASURIYA The Veteran trade unionist and present Governor of the Western Province, Alavi Mowlana, charged the government as being fully responsible for the current strikes in the public sector. "Instead of entering into dialogue with the concerned parties the government tries to put the blame on the opposition", he alleged, claiming that if the government had entered into a dialogue, the present situation could have been avoided". But, the present government is unable to understand the reality," he said. The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) which called off their strike on Friday stopped work for over a week over salary anomalies. Joining them in the one-day token strike were the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the Association of Educational Professionals and University non-academic staffs who staged picketing campaigns. Several other picketing and `sathyagraha' campaigns were also reported during the past week. Mowlana said that the PA government had in the past tackled a number of strikes, but they had faced them in the right perspective. He pointed out that the PA Government always tried to be with the working-class to better understand their problems. Meanwhile, Ceylon Mercantile Union (CMU) General Secretary Bala Thampoe said that his understanding was that the private sector trade unions would not be joining the present strike wave. However, he said that they have identified a lot of problems faced by the workers and they will have a combined program with the public sector trade unions to win the rights of the workers, after elections. The GMOA launched their strike on March 8 demanding the government rectify their salary anomalies before the General Election on April 2. More than 10,000 doctors employed in State-run hospitals threatened to resign from their posts, if there was no positive response from the government. However, Media reported Health Minister P. Dayaratne as stating that the caretaker government has no authority to look into their problem. Meanwhile, the Public Sector Trade Union has also arranged a picketing campaign in front of the Railway Station, Fort on March 26 pushing the government to rectify the public sector salary anomalies. The Union's Convenor W.H. Piyadasa said that the Health Secretary's circular issued on February 02, 2004 had created a big gap between the health sector and the other public sector services. He said that while a health sector labourer receives Rs. 74,160 per annum, a labourer in the same grade in other public sector receives only Rs. 55,800. He further added that their letter to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to intervene had received only an acknowledgment. The employees of Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) went on a token strike on Thursday demanding attention to their grievances. A spokesman for the Lanka Viduli Sevaka Sangamaya (LVSS) said that more than 13,500 employees from 27 trade unions joined the strike. They were also demanding a salary hike which was promised earlier, but, the Finance Ministry had however, turned down the demand. The CEB Chairman M. Zuhair has also said that with a caretaker government, the employees' demands cannot be met. The Association of Educational Professionals also went on a `Sathyagraha' Campaign at the Viharamaha Devi Park on Wednesday on trade union issues pertaining to teaching profession. The Association President Ven. Muruttettuwe Ananda Thera said that both governments had failed to find lasting solutions to their grievances but provided only `temporary' remedies. The teachers who came to Colombo including those from the North and East urged the government to give priority to their problems. University non-academic employees including UGC staffs also went on a strike last week agitating against the cancellation of their monthly allowance of Rs. 1,150 from this month. A spokesman from the UGC said that they would go for a continues strike, if the government doesn't change its decision. |
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