Health TUs give Ministry week’s ultimatum to meet demands
a year ago
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Demands include addressing promotion anomalies, payment of spl. Covid-19 allowance
BY Dinitha RathnayakeHealth Ministry officials have been given a week’s ultimatum by health sector trade unions to provide solutions to the demands of 16 health sector trade unions including eliminating the anomalies in promotions and the issuance of circulars related to promotions, and increasing special Covid-19-related allowances.Speaking to The Morning, Government Nursing Officers Association (GNOA) President Saman Rathnapriya said that the Health Ministry is yet to respond to their strike action on 9 November and that therefore, they have given a week’s time to be provided an answer.“On 16 November, we have a special meeting with the participation of 16 health sector trade unions to decide on our next action and it will be an action which the Ministry officials would never forget,“ he claimed.A total of 16 health sector trade unions launched a strike action on 9 November in 152 hospitals islandwide, in connection with demands pertaining to eliminating the anomalies in promotions and the issuance of promotion-related circulars, and increasing special allowances, among other such demands.Rathnapriya added that 16 trade unions affiliated with the health sector including nurses, pharmacists, medical laboratory technologists, public health inspectors (PHIs), and midwives participated in this trade union action which took place at 49 Central Government hospitals, 103 Local Government hospitals, and 293 Medical Officer of Health Offices around the country.“We are putting pressure on the Health Ministry to immediately implement requests such as those pertaining to eliminating the anomalies in promotions and the issuance of promotion-related circulars, and increasing the special allowances given to health professionals from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 10,000,” Rathnapriya added.Around 55,000 health staffers participated in this strike action; however, emergency services and Covid-19-related services continued as normal.Earlier, a lunchtime protest was held on 22 September and a countrywide health workers’ strike was held on 27 September, mainly on the non-payment of the Covid-19 special allowance.
