JVP Leader warns of a looming danger of public sector administration breaking down

By Saman Indrajith

JVP/NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday warned Parliament of the danger of public administration collapsing owing to ongoing trade union action by the Grama Niladharis (GNs).

Making a special statement, Dissanayake said that the GNs countrywide had resorted to trade union action over several issues including salary anomalies. They recently had a countrywide sick-note campaign and thereafter they commenced a work-to-rule campaign on May 17. This campaign is scheduled to continue till June 2. The GN union collective has warned that if they do not get an acceptable solution by June 2, they would take severe actions.

The Cabinet approved a special salary scheme for the GNs, but the government was delaying its implementation, Dissanayake said. Some of the problems highlighted by the GNs had been there for years without being addressed. There is a danger that the entire administrative sector was coming to a standstill because GN is the lowest rung of the public sector administrative machinery, Dissanayake said.

Home Affairs State Minister Ashoka Priyantha said that the ministry had held several rounds of talks with the GNs on May 2 and May 11. Action had been taken to double the allowances for GNs on May 14. This proposal had been sent to the Public Service Commission on May 20. In addition, the government had recruited more than 1,000 GNs recently. The government’s attention had been drawn to the grievances highlighted by the GNs and it hoped that the GNs would respond accordingly by ending their union action, the minister said.