31 August 2024 12:00 am Views - 119
By Ajith Siriwardana
Claiming that the promise to increase government employees’ salary by Rs. 25,000 is an utter lie, NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said yesterday the National People’s Power (NPP) would provide government servants with salaries proportionate to the cost of living every six months.
Speaking at the Development Officers’ National Convention, he said the government refused to provide a Rs. 25,000 increase citing insufficient funds when government servants resorted to a strike demanding a pay hike a few months ago and said if President Ranil Wickremesinghe really wanted, he could do it even now.
“How can the government find money to increase salaries in January as promised? The government could not increase government employees’ salaries one and a half months ago when they demanded a pay hike, claiming that there were no funds. This is a lie. Some Rs. 420 billion is needed to increase salary by Rs. 25,000,” he said.
He said the NPP has included in its election manifesto that the government employees will be provided with salary increases every six months in proportionate to the cost of living.
“It is not an increment given on election time or when employees resort to strikes. It is an increment which will be given on a regular basis. The government must take care of government employees. It is the responsibility of the government to pay a reasonable salary to the government servants,” he said.