• Seek resolution from the next Budget 

Grama Niladhari (GN) officers, who are currently engaged in a limited trade union (TU) action by restricting their participation in meetings and several Government programmes, have warned that they will step up their action if their demands are not addressed through the upcoming Budget.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, GN Officers’ TU Alliance (GNOTUA) Convenor Jagath Chandralal said that they had deliberately limited the TU action to activities that would affect the administration rather than the public, and that the current measures would continue until the Budget is presented. “We are currently limiting our visits to Divisional Secretariat offices. We are also not participating in meetings and various programmes conducted by the Government, such as Praja Shakthi and Clean Sri Lanka. We are doing this until the Budget. If we don’t receive relief through the Budget, we will intensify our TU action,” he said.

A key demand of the GN officers is an increase in their travel allowance, which has remained at Rs 600 a month for the past eight yeaRs Chandralal said that the amount is inadequate and that an allowance equivalent to the cost of 20 litres of fuel, approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2024, had still not been implemented. “We receive only Rs 600 a month as a fuel allowance. In 2024, it was approved to provide us with the cost of 20 litres of fuel. It was supposed to be implemented, but, this Government didn’t give it to us.”

The latest action follows earlier TU measures by GN officers over the same issue and several other demands. GN officers had previously announced that they would report sick and refrain from reporting for duty across the country for two days (on 11 and 12 August) in protest against the failure to increase the travel allowance and implement the Cabinet-approved benefit.

The unions later called off that island-wide TU action following discussions with Public Administration Minister, Prof. Chandana Abayarathna and Ministry officials. TU representatives said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake also joined the discussions by telephone and assured them that their demands would be addressed through the upcoming Budget.