The Government Nursing Officers Association said that it will be forced to proceed with the trade union action that it had planned, as talks with the authorities did not reach the intended outcomes.

The Association's Chairperson Saman Rathnapriya made this statement while speaking to the media yesterday (17) after the relevant discussions.

He added that these discussions took place with the intervention of the Health Ministry as well as several Finance Ministry officials. He added however that the relevant officials had no solution to address the issues caused by the Budgetary allocations made for the health sector. These concerns include how the salaries were determined and how the allowances were revised for the health sector officers through the Budget. Rathnapriya explained that during these meetings, it was discussed that although salaries had been increased, allowances, including the overtime pay and off day duty payments, had been slashed.

"When it comes to promotion-related concerns, they are trying to come up with a solution. They promised us to provide those solutions through the relevant circulars," he added.