Railway workers irked over salary issue
The Sri Lanka Railway’s failure to pay the April remuneration before the Sinhala and Tamil New Year has irked its employees, the All Ceylon Railway Employees’ General Union (ACREGU) said.
Although the SLR paid salaries to some of its employees before the New Year most of the work force had been deprived of their dues to celebrate the national festival according to Secretary ACREGU Sumathipala Manawadu.
“Most of the railway employees did not receive their salaries before the Sinhala New Year although the Railway Department claims that they had remitted the salaries to the banks. But the respective banks have informed the railway employees that their salaries have not been sent to the banks,” claimed Manawadu.
According to Manawadu the employees are now puzzled as to who they should believe as it is learnt that the money deposited in state banks are sent to government coffers to avert any financial crunch. “We understand that all moneys at state banks are sent to government coffers and in that backdrop we still cannot point the finger either at the bank or the SLR,” added Manawadu.
Meanwhile accusing Railway Minister Dulles Alahapperuma of failing to increase the number of journeys during the festive season as promised, Manawadu said that it was a result of poor coordination with the railway station masters (SM).
By Nirmala Kannangara
Source: The Sunday Leader
Tags: festive season, finances, government coffers, journeys, new year, poor coordination, railway department, railway employees, railway minister, railway station, remuneration, state banks, station masters
