Electricity workers end industrial action, doctors to begin 24-hour strike

electricity workers ended their strike today following government assurance to increase their salaries and the Railway Strike scheduled to begin midnight was cancelled while the state Doctors’ union, Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) announced another 24-hour anti SAITM strike for today.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Workers’ Union agreed to end the eight-day long strike launched on September 13, Minister, Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. The Union said they ended the strike following the successful discussion the trade union representatives of the CEB held with the Labor Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne and the Minister of Power and Energy Ranjith Siyambalapitiya.

Fulfilling the union’s demand, the government has agreed to give the CEB technical employees a salary increase of 10% to 13% and a clerical staff of 10%.Accordingly, all employees of Ceylon Electricity Board had been informed to report to work on normal basis from today morning.

Meanwhile, the 48-hour token railways strike scheduled to be held from midnight by the Collective of Railway Operational Supervisory Officers Unions had been called off following successful discussions with the Secretary to the Prime Minister, who had assured that they would be given written assurance for their demands on salary anomalies.

However, the state doctors’ union, the Government Medical Association (GMOA) together with Inter University Student’s Federation (IUSF), health, education and other trade unions will launch a 24-hour Anti-SAITM token strike at 8 a.m, according to the GMOA Secretary Dr. Navin de Zoysa.

The strike is in protest of government’s failure to provide an acceptable response to demands against the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM). The GMOA yesterday rejected the Presidential Committee Report on resolving issues related to the SAITM.

Dr. de Zoysa said the attempt to establish the Accreditation Council (AC) reducing the powers of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and not providing a favorable solution to students who have been protesting against the SAITM outside campus for the past few months, were reasons for their protest.

GMOA Secretary Dr Haritha Aluthge said a committee comprising appointed to study the Presidential Committee Report had specifically said that it would not help find a lasting solution to the SAITM issue.