Railway union takes up gatekeepers cause
The All Ceylon Railway Employees General Union complains that nearly 2,000 men recruited as temporary gate keepers to maintain unprotected level crossings in 1989 with bamboo barriers, though later absorbed to the Department of Railways still remain as temporary hands and were denied privileges and benefits enjoyed by other categories of temporary workers in the Department.
A section of the Janasaviya recipients were recruited to man these unprotected level crossings following a fatal accident involving a school bus in which nearly 40 children were killed in Ahungalle in 1989. The Union said that despite their 19 years of service they still receive a paltry sum of money as salaries and as a result undergo untold hardship. Despite a circular issued recently by the Ministry of Public Administration the plight of these gate keepers have been ignored.
A majority of these workers have retired from service afterthe age of 60 while many others have lost their eligibility to be absorbed into permanent service since they are past the age of 45 years. The Union said that it had brought this to the notice of the Human Rights Commission and plans to place the matter before the Supreme Court in a bid to get justice meted out these poor people.
Source: The Island
