Talks fail but health workers agree to call off strike

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Talks between representatives of 72 striking health sector unions and Acting Finance Minister Shehan Semasinghe and Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana to end the strike over the increasing of Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance to doctors failed.

The two parties met at 3.30 p.m at the Finance Ministry.

President of the Joint Council for Professions of Supplementary Medicine, Ravi Kumudesh, told The Island yesterday (16) that they had asked the Ministers to increase their salaries by using the same formula they adopted to increase salaries of doctors.

“If this formula is used, we won’t get as much as doctors. However, this would be the best way to avoid unnecessary squabbling. The Ministers agree with us. However, they told us they could not do anything until President Ranil Wickremesinghe returns to Sri Lanka. It is obvious that the President runs the country the way he wants .” he said.

Kumudesh said that they would stop the strike on Wednesday morning.

“We have decided to give some time for the President to solve the problems his Cabinet proposal has created. So we have stopped. However, if the President doesn’t solve our problems, we will take action,” he said.

The unions are willing to compromise, he added.

He said that the unions want the government to use the same yardsticks it used to increase the DAT allowance of doctors.

Kumudesh said the Cabinet-of-Ministers had, on 08 Jan. approved a proposal to double the DAT allowance for doctors. The proposal was presented by President Wickremesinghe. Now, doctors receive a DAT allowance up to Rs. 70,000 per month, he said.

The unions had been compelled to launch a strike because the government had ignored the overwhelming majority of health sector workers and increased the DAT allowance only for doctors, Kumudesh said.

Representatives of unions held a discussion with the Health Minister, Dr. Ramesh Pathirana on Tuesday morning.

Minister Pathirana said he appreciates the role played by everyone in the health sector and that every health worker had the right to a fair salary.

However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement.