• Charge Govt. yet to commence talks on compensation 

The withdrawal of several Trade Unions (TUs) attached to Cyclone Ditwah-related relief services is to continue until the Government responds to the demands made by them and adopts a proper mechanism for distribution compensation and allowance for their services.

Due to the continually unresolved administrative and financial issues surrounding relief services in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, TUs comprising Grama Niladhari (GN) officers, Disaster Relief Officers (DRO), and Technical Officers (TOs) halted operations on 27 February. 

As the halt enters its third week, neither the President nor the Ministry of Defence has extended a discussion on the matter yet.

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Sri Lanka United Grama Niladhari Association (SLUGNA) Secretary Jagath Chandralal stated that during the declared disaster period from 21 November to 15 December 2025, ground-level officers had carried out their duties to provide food and other necessary facilities to those who were affected by the cyclone, although most of the work done by them had not been “visible” due to the involvement of State machinery at the time.

“That is a duty we have been doing, so we do not intend to talk about that. The post-disaster time period commenced on 15 February; this stage involves resetting civilians who were affected, rebuilding what was destroyed, and more. The officers who have taken TU action are the ones who handle pre-disaster and post-disaster tasks,” he said.

According to him, such post-disaster tasks were performed in the interim, yet no allowance or appreciation had been extended towards the involved officers. Previously, GNs, DROs, and TOs had been provided with a daily allowance of Rs. 500 for a maximum of 10 days per month under a circular issued in 2019. 

Chandralal said: “We received only Rs. 5,000 for that entire overall task. Those payments were made until 15 December 2025, when the disaster situation was officially declared over. For the post-disaster tasks, not even a cent has been received to date.”

Following the strike action taken on 27 February, Chandralal noted that despite the rates in the 2019 circular being increased for the entire public service, no mechanism on an allowance for officers performing post-disaster work had been provided. 

On Friday (6), the National Disaster Relief Services Centre had assured that such a mechanism would be established, although no written documentation on such an initiative had been provided as of yet.

“The goal of this professional action is to seek justice for the injustice caused to us, not to take revenge on people who come to us. The main demand here is the request to provide a fair allowance for the duty we performed,” he said. “Another main point is the lack of a guideline with regard to the compensation circular. According to the Government circular, even a person with two or three broken tiles is eligible for Rs. 500,000.”

Chandralal expressed concerns of unfair criticism being placed on GN and DRO operations according to the circular, calling for a comprehensive guideline to be established and gazetted in accordance with Government policy.

Speaking on the matter, Deputy Minister of Defence Major General (Retd) Aruna Jayasekara stated that the Budget circular issued in November 2025, outlining the immediate relief following Cyclone Ditwah’s adverse weather conditions, had been designed for the specific situation, therefore serving as a guideline in distributing compensation according to the damage sustained.

Additionally, he stated that the Ministry of Defence had issued a circular outlining special daily allowances for Government officials who actively contributed to managing disaster situations across the country.

“This was submitted under certain conditions, not in the sense that it is a strict rule, but rather that there should be proper administration. The divisional secretary has to certify that this particular grama niladhari has visited these sectors and done this operation, and that the service is satisfactory,” he explained.

According to the circular, the scheme has been in effect since 21 November 2025. It states that officials engaged in disaster relief operations will receive daily allowances depending on their respective service levels, with the values set at Rs. 2,500, Rs. 2,000, Rs. 1,600, Rs. 1,400, and Rs. 800. Additionally, GN officials directly working in disaster-affected areas will receive Rs. 1,500 per day, while those deployed from non-disaster areas to assist relief efforts will receive Rs. 1,000 per day.

Jayasekara noted that he was not able to comment on the matter of the relevant officers allegedly not being paid for their post-disaster efforts.