Public workers strike demanding salary hike  

by Rathindra Kuruwita

Public sector employees including development officers, management service officers, Grama Niladharis, Samurdhi Officers, and office Services personnel will be on a token strike today (12) to pressure the government to implement the proposed Rs. 10,000 salary increment from next month itself. Failure to do so will result in crippling union action, they have warned.

President of the All Ceylon Management Service Officer’s Union Udeni Dissanayake said in October they demanded the government to increase salaries by 20,000 rupees. The government however promised to increase 10,000 rupees from April 2024.

Udeni Dissanayake said the salaries of the government sector had been last increased in 2016.

Dissanayake said usually salary increments are given in January.

“The VAT will be increased to 18 percent in January. The import costs of petrol, diesel and coal will rise by around 11 percent from 01 January 2014, when the VAT increases to 18 percent. With this the price of all essentials will skyrocket,” he said.

If the government does not increase salaries from January 2024, they would take crippling union action, Dissanayake said.