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Health sector non-medical staff to strike on 6 May

02 May 2022

  • Unions urge patients to also join strike by not visiting hospitals for non-essential matters
BY Dinitha Rathnayake Health sector trade unions, with the exception of medical officers, have unanimously decided to conduct a strike at all health services on 6 May, demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the Government. Speaking to The Morning, Health Trade Union Confederation Convener Ravi Kumudesh said that the health staff would initiate a strike from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the same day. “The decision was taken during the trade union meeting held yesterday (2) and it was also decided that staff will not be in uniform during the strike. However, all essential and life saving services are to be provided voluntarily and a special programme will be in place to minimise the inconvenience caused to the public. We think that it is not only our strike, but that patients should also be involved in this strike action. So we request the public to not visit hospitals on 6 May for non-essential, general care services.” Meanwhile, vast street protests are planned on the same date in front of the Health Ministry and hospitals from 9 a.m., leading to a hartal if the Government does not heed the demands made during a recent islandwide general strike. “Violence is never condoned to cause any harm to public property during this hartal campaign,” Kumudesh added. A large number of government, semi-government, and private sector trade unions in Sri Lanka engaged in a one day token strike on 28 April demanding the immediate resignation of President Rajapaksa, Premier Rajapaksa, and the Government. Nearly 1,000 unions from a number of sectors, including the State service, health, ports, electricity, education, and postal, joined the strike and a joint hartal organised under the theme “Bow to the people – Government go home”, urging the President, the Premier, and the Government to “go home”.  


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