The Ministry of Mass Media stated that it had requested approval to recruit employees for all departments under the ministry, including the Postal Department, and had received positive responses from the Ministry of Finance.

The Postal and Telecommunications Officers’ Union and the United Postal Trade Unions Front launched a 48-hour strike from 4 p.m. on 16 March, demanding solutions to seven key issues including filling vacancies in the department.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni said that currently, there is a staffing shortage across all Government departments, with some experiencing a shortfall of nearly 50%. 

“The main reasons for this shortage are the lack of proper recruitment and the failure to carry out proper cadre revisions over the past three years. Every institution under our ministry is facing this issue, and similar issues exist in institutions outside our ministry as well,” he said.  

He further said that the recruitment of public servants is carried out in alignment with the Government's economic situation. “It is not just about paying salaries, many other factors must be considered when making recruitments. To manage this, the Finance Ministry and a dedicated unit within the Prime Minister's Office are working together. We have actively requested approvals to recruit employees for all departments, including the Postal Department. We have received positive responses for those requests.”

Meanwhile, the Cabinet of Ministers had recently approved new recruitments for a total of 5,882 vacancies, including vacancies in several ministries.