• Meeting to decide next course of action

The Professionals' Trade Union Alliance (PTUA) and several other trade unions that have not reached a final decision regarding their next course of action against the Government's new tax policies, at its meeting held last Friday (3), are to meet tomorrow (7), to discuss the matter and reach a decision.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, Ceylon Bank Employees' Union (CBEU) President, Ranjan Senanayake, representing the PTUA, said: "The PTUA and other trade union movements will have a meeting on Tuesday (7). A final decision will be made during that meeting and it will be declared on that evening."

While several trade unions of the health sector and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have warned of a continuous strike from this week, demanding the withdrawal of the Government's new tax policies, several other trade unions including the CBEU stated on 2 February that they would make a final decision regarding their course of action against the same at a discussion to be held on Friday.

More than 100 trade unions within Government and semi-Government institutions such as the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB), the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), and trade unions including the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA), the Federation of University Teachers` Association (FUTA), the Ceylon Bank Employees' Union (CBEU) and the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) implemented a number of trade union actions including strikes and work-to-rule campaigns, forcing the Government led by President and Finance, Economic Stabilisation and National Policies Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to revoke the recently introduced tax policies on 1 March, and claimed their trade union actions to be successful. They also warned of stricter trade union actions including continuous strikes within the course of next week, if the Government continues to ignore their demands.