Railway ignores 3000 workforce, hires Indian workers
The Railway Department is planning to hire 1000 foreign workers to the Department despite the Department already being overstaffed. The All Island Railway Workers’ Union charged that railway authorities were taking steps to allow a number of foreign companies to bring down some 1000 workers from India to carry out maintenance work on railway tracks in the country.
This was despite the fact that the Department of Railways already has a workforce of 3000 personnel for those duties. General Secretary of the union, Sumathipala Manawadu, charged that this was a very serious and unjust decision and that they strongly object to it. He said that though foreign workers are to be brought down to maintain a railway track system which runs 1250 kilometres, local railway workers had been able to repair 90 kilometres of railway track which had been damaged in the tsunami within 57 days of the disaster.
He further said that the Indian workers are to lay the railway track and that the Sri Lankan workers are to be confined to removing the rubble. Manawadu said that they strongly oppose the decision taken by the present government and the transport minister regarding the contract for laying the railway line between Galle and Matara and also the decision to bring down 1000 workers from India to do the work.
General Manager of Railway Department Dr. Lalithasiri Gunaruwan said “we do not have any idea of bringing such an amount of Indian workers for a local railway project.I also can’t exactly say how many Indian experts will join this project”.
By Padmini Matarage
Source: lakbimanews
