AMS proposes suspension of ad hoc salary revisions, etc., to halt health sector strikes

By Rathindra Kuruwita

The government should temporarily suspend all ad hoc salary revisions and other corrective measures agreed with trade unions recently with immediate effect and review salary scales and grades of public servants in a uniform, fair, equitable and transparent manner on a scientific basis, Dr R. Gnanasekeram,  General Secretary of the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) said yesterday.

He told The Island that the government had lost the confidence of the public sector by granting concessions to some categories of workers in an ad hoc manner in the health sector.

Dr. Gnanasekeram asserted that lack of direction in general and poor fiscal management had aggravated the ill-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The General Secretary of the AMS added that what determined whether a trade union would win their demands or not depended only on the might and political allegiance of the trade union and not how reasonable their demands were.

“To win such demands, whom are they holding to ransom? It is usually the poorest of the poor who have already been battered by the pandemic. As public servants we must admit that we are among the least affected by the pandemic and resultant economic impact. Our salaries are paid in full whether we work or not. Even the transport is arranged at the expense of the state for some of us. Essentials were made available for us to be delivered to the workplace as an extra convenience. These are some of the privileges we have enjoyed as public servants during this period,” he said.

Therefore, public servants, as one of the least affected segments of the society, should be more mindful of our duty over rights, he said. Dr. Gnanasekeram said that AMS had analysed the current situation and believed that an urgent interim solution should be sought to prevent a lot more trade unions joining the strike bandwagon.

“We strongly recommend that all ad-hoc salary revisions and other corrective measures agreed with trade unions recently and promised to do in the near future be suspended with immediate effect until a concrete solution is worked out and revisit and review salary scales and official statuses of public servants in a uniform, fair, equitable and transparent manner on a scientific basis in consultation with experts in the salaries and cadre commission. If such remedial measures are not adopted, we wil be compelled to warn the government of facing a spate of trade union actions plunging the nation into absolute chaos.”