Over the past week, people watched in amazement as persons whom we looked on as being our intellectual mentors –teachers and principals in government schools- downed their books, closed schools and took to the streets demanding a pay hike. 

Neither teachers nor school principals seemed to worry about how the disruption of studies would affect their students. Neither did they care tuppence of how working fathers and mothers were going to cope with the extra cost of caring for unattended children. 

But this should not surprise us. An impending presidential election is in the air. Over the years trade unionists have made a habit of organising work stoppages at election time or during major religious festivals as a means of demanding wage increases.

What made the action different last week however, was that despite the debt repayment burden the country continues to be embroiled in, the government did  provide an extra allowance to state workers just last April! A measly Rs. 10,000 no doubt.  However, this privilege was not available to non-state sector employees.

Within days,of the teachers coming striking, Station Masters of the Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) which has been running at a huge loss amounting to over LKR 331 billion, shut their offices and disrupted rail services countrywide. Two people died travelling on overcrowded trains. Such was the desperation created by the sudden break in transport facilities. 

The next day, contracted workers at the state-run National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) were demanding their cadre be absorbed into the NWSDB permanent cadre as they had been attached to the organisation for a long period of time. 
In 2021 the NWSDB incurred a loss of  LKR 3.1 billion amid rising salary costs.

On the same day, employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) which has an accumulated debt of over LKR 246 billion were threatening strike action in the event of wages not being increased.
It’s time the work culture and employee demands in state-owned enterprises changed. Workers in these establishments need to realise their wages are being subsidised by the taxpaying public, whom they often fleece. Often cash under the table is needed to smoothen out the smallest problem.

While employees of loss-making SOEs and school teachers are attempting to hold the country to ransom demanding unreasonable wage hikes, health workers in Government hospitals are short-staffed. According to the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), over 1,700 or 10% of doctors in the island have left the country. Central Bank statistics also reveal a shortage of around 30,000 nurses.
Doctors and nurses often work shifts of between 14 to 16 hours a day to ensure efficient patient care and a continuous health care service. 

Shortage of hospital equipment has led, on several occasions to 2 patients having to share a single bed. However, these doctors and nightingales continue their service amidst trying conditions. 
No threat of strikes, even senior registrars at the national hospital attend ward rounds checking patients, making available their expertise to junior doctors, and giving a hearing to patient needs and/or grievances. 

Again, tea exports earned this country a record Rs. 428.29 billion posting an increase of Rs. 17.24 billion or 4% as against the previous year’s performance. In US $ terms, export revenue for 2023 was $ 1.31 billion. Yet many of these workers are paid less than Rs. 1000 per day.
The ‘Daily FT’ reports cumulative tea production for the year 2023 registered an increase of 4.20 million kgs compared with 251.84 million kgs in 2022.

Yet, the wages of these workers are not even sufficient to provide two square meals a day to their families. 
Sadly, workers in loss-making SOEs seem unaware of the wider problems and inequalities among the working class itself. Do they not recognise the injustice done to their brothers in the hill country OR is their industrial action simply geared to specific party political agendas?

It is beginning to look as though the latter is correct, given that all strike actions have been dropped overnight even though none of the strikers’ demands have been met.
It is also time our opportunistic politicians stopped fishing in troubled worker problems to simply gain political mileage and create chaotic situations.