It is reported that 18 trade unions representing the Joint Committee of Government Executive Officers have decided to take a trade union action as a protest against the Government’s failure to solve the problems faced by the professionals in the public sector.

Accordingly, it has been learned that the Joint Committee of Executive Officers has decided to report sick for two days and a written notification in this regard has been made to the Secretary to the President.

This was confirmed by an Additional Secretary to the President, where he referred to a letter issued on April 29, 2024, by the Joint Committee of Government Executive Officers to the Secretary to the President, titled “Government’s failure to provide solutions to the problems faced by public sector professionals at present”.

He mentioned that the relevant letter has been forwarded on the basis of four conditions including removal of salary anomalies, lack of salary increment for eight years, and setting up a promotion system among the executive officers of the public service.

He said that executive officers have said that they will report sick on April 2 and 3.

The letter has said that if the authorities continue to neglect their requests, strict trade union action will be taken in the future.

He also stated that it is his personal opinion that it is not fair to lay down this kind of conditions in the face of the worst economic crisis in the history of the country, which is regaining stability under very difficult conditions.

Speaking further, the Additional Secretary said that 22 million people of this country faced difficulties during the economic crisis. “There were even wage cuts in the private sector. But that did not happen in the public sector,” he said. On the other hand, executive officers enjoy a higher salary and higher benefits than ordinary employees in the public sector.

He opined that none of these suggestions can be implemented suddenly. “It is my personal opinion that it is not humane to turn to trade union action instead of solving the problems in the success of the programme that is building the country at this moment.”

(dailynews.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailynews.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)