35 days of trade union action cripples university system

Colombo, June 6 (Daily Mirror) -Thirty-five days have passed since the University Trade Union Joint Committee (UTUJC) launched their trade union action, crippling the entire university system, UTUJC Co-Chairman Dhammika S. Priyantha said.

He told the Daily Mirror that the UTUJC recently had a discussion with the Finance State Minister and reached a certain agreement over their issues, including salary anomalies.

"We have submitted our proposal to the government, outlining how this issue should be resolved. We have received minimal agreement for our demands so far. If we receive approval for our demands through the Finance Ministry or the Cabinet, we may call off the ongoing strike," Priyantha said.

"The President recently rejected our proposal based on false information provided by state officials. However, the Ministers have now understood the reality of the issue and informed him. As a result, we have observed increased flexibility from the President regarding our issue," Priyantha said.

Due to the trade union strike launched by all non-academic staff members, all internal operations of the university system have come to a standstill.

The trade union strike began on May 2, driven by various demands, including rectifying a 15% salary cut imposed on non-academic employees.