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Railways to be declared as essential service from midnight today: Bandula
Following the death of the Katubedda Technical college student, Cabinet spokesman and Transport Minister, Bandula Gunawardana, said today that he is to request the President to issue a gazette notification declaring the Railway Department as an essential service from midnight today.
While addressing the media, he said that the arbitrary railway trade union action and the 84 engine drivers who refrained from reporting for duties and launched this sudden train strike should be held responsible for the death of the engineering student.
He said the decision was taken for the protection of the railway staff, the people and as an essential criteria to protect law and order in the country.
After making the railway an essential service, maximum legal action will be taken against anyone who engages in activities that would disrupt the service in the future.
Before starting the weekly briefing on Cabinet decisions, a one-minute silence was observed in view of the death of the Moratuwa University engineering student after falling off the train at Horape.
"The total income of the railway service by 2021 was Rs. 2.6 billion. Rs. 2.3 was paid as overtime allowances and Rs. 7 billion had to be paid as monthly salaries. Accordingly, the railway service incurs a continuous loss of Rs. 10 billion every year," the Minister said while starting the media briefing.
"The railway trade unions are in the practice of launching their sudden trade union action while inconveniencing innocent people. Therefore, people request the Transport Ministry to privatize the Railway Department as no one will take responsibility for any accidents," he said.
"This sudden trade union action can be considered an act of train terrorism. As a government, we do not surrender to this type of terror," Minister Gunawardene said.
The Sri Lanka Railways Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union launched their trade union action this morning due to the non-payment of incentives to railway employees who have been working in railway yards for several months. (Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama)
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