Station Masters threaten railway strike
The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union (SLRSMU) will launch a token strike at Tuesday midnight demanding the implementation of the 6/2006 departmental circular regarding salary revisions to all grades of Station masters, salary increments to the station masters who have been promoted to Grade One and to fill the 200 vacancies in their cadre.
The secretary of SLRSMU, Amarasena Veddagala, told The Nation that the work stoppage would extend for 24 hours as a warning to the management before the Union decides to take vigorous trade union action to win its just demands.
“We are only asking for what we are entitled to therefore it’s our right to demand as the management is not taking any steps to provide what they have promised us,” he said.
Veddagala said although they planned a strike on December 28 yet they postponed it since they did not want to disrupt the government as they are fighting a war.
“We thought about the situation the government is facing therefore we decided to call off the strike but what’s the purpose when they cannot consider our needs. We are not going to give up, as the government is just doing nothing other than playing with us,” he asserted.
The Railway management was unavailable for comment at the time the paper was going to press last night.
By Kushali Atukorale
Source: The Nation
Tags: implementation, railway management, railway station, salary increments, salary revisions, station masters, token strike, trade union action, vacancies, work stoppage
