SLPP-linked trade union demands urgent vaccine for bank employees

An SLPP-linked trade union is demanding immediate vaccination of all bank employees and warned failure would lead to protest. 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, and several State Ministers in early May informed the COVID Task Force and the Director-General of Health Services on the need to vaccinate banking sector employees.

However, the failure so far has caused immense dissatisfaction with the Government, the union’s BOC Branch President Lahiru Yapa and Secretary Sanjaya Ratmangolla said in a letter dated 16 June.

They said in BOC alone, around 1,000 employees had contracted COVID-19 and the union’s Branch Treasurer and Chief Organiser were hospitalised.

It was also stated that the bank’s management had already been notified regarding the protest campaign.

Last week, President Rajapaksa, in his Extraordinary Gazette, included State banks as essential services.