Exasperated midwives threaten countrywide trade union action

by Pradeep Prasanna Samarakoon

Public Health Midwives are threatening to resort to trade union action from next Sunday if the government fails to redress their grievances. Chairperson of the Government Midwives Association Devika Kodituwakku says.

She said that the midwives of the Uva Province would engage in a sick note campaign on Sunday (13) demanding that the government settle the issues pertaining to allowances that had not been paid since January this year for 486 midwives in the province.

“The government has suspended paying transport expenses, and, therefore, the midwives have to bear the cost of their transport.

This is an unjust act. We have pointed this out to relevant authorities several times and written to them but none seem to have any concern. If the payment arrears are not paid to the midwives in the Uva Province by next Sunday, we’ll convene a meeting of midwives numbering over 20,000 and resort to a countrywide strike.”