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Fuel crisis: Public and private sectors feels the pinch

06 Mar 2022

 
  • Health and Education TUs express concern
  • CCC urges Govt. to address power and fuel shortages
By Uwin Lugoda Sri Lanka’s fuel supply shortage and the resulting constraints on public transport and commuting have begun to impact both private and public sector employees, The Sunday Morning learns.  Several trade unions (TUs) have voiced their concerns over the fuel crisis impacting workers across the island. They stated that the crisis has caused a chain reaction, leading to a shortage in both public and private transport options for workers.  According to All Ceylon Nurses’ Union (ACNU) General Secretary S.B. Mediwatta, this issue had already been discussed within their union throughout last week.  He explained that a lot of regions were currently suffering from the fuel crisis, which had, in turn, caused a shortage of public transport, which a majority of their members use to go to and from work.  “Our work duties are usually on a shift basis. Some of us start our shifts at 7 a.m. while others start at either 1 p.m. or 7 p.m. Those ending their shifts at around 7 p.m. usually catch a bus home at 7.30 p.m. or 8.00 p.m. But now due to the fuel crisis buses are scarce at that time, leaving the nurses stranded. The hospitals have also not made plans to introduce transport for their nurses,” Mediwatta said.  He stated that this situation had heavily impacted nurses, and made it difficult for them to attend their shifts or return home after. He explained that while the fuel crisis had also impacted nurses who use private transport, such as bikes, it has mainly impacted those using public transport, such as trains and buses.  “Even nurses using trains to get to work are impacted. In the past week, we have seen a reduction in train trips, which has left our nurses unable to get to work on time,” he stated.  Similar concerns were shared by Sri Lanka Teachers’ Union (SLTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin, who stated that this crisis would impact both teachers and students.  He explained that starting tomorrow (7), schools across the country would begin to reopen, leading to over 4.3 million students and 247,000 teachers, most of whom use public transport, commuting to school. He stated that both parties would be impacted by this Government-made crisis, similar to how the education sector is currently impacted by the ongoing power crisis and subsequent power cuts.  He explained that if left without a solution, both the fuel and power crises would lead to an even bigger educational crisis in the country.  “The Government’s bad economic management has led to both fuel and power cuts. This did not happen naturally. The entire education system will be reopening tomorrow; so what is the Government’s solution to fix this transport problem? Even school buses are lining up to buy fuel, and their drivers are asking for some sort of relief from the Government, so there needs to be a solution for that as well,” Stalin stated.  In addition, Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union (FTZ & GSEU) Joint Secretary Anton Marcus predicted that the fuel crisis would impact their members in the near future.  He explained that currently their members had been given transport by their respective employers. However, he also noted that this would not last long if the fuel crisis persists.  Marcus also stated that once employers become unable to provide transport for their employees, it is the Government’s responsibility to provide employers with the facilities to transport their employees to work. As such, he stated that this was a good time for the employers and the trade unions to cooperate and make a joint representation to the Government.  However, he stated that FTZ & GSEU does not see any interest from employers to come up with solutions, and instead that they fear employers would use this crisis to their advantage.  “We think that employers will try to use this situation to lower [the clauses of] terms and conditions such as [laying off] workers without pay, or cutting workers’ festival bonuses in April. So, if the employers try to take advantage of this situation, and the Government has not resolved the issue, employees will have no option but to organise campaigns and protest,” Marcus said .  He explained that if the Government fails to come up with a clear plan to address these issues, the employers and trade unions need to come up with their own. He stated that this matter has to be discussed at the National Labour Advisory Council, and has to be a joint effort by both the employers and trade unions.  Last week, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) urged the Government to address key issues such as power generation and fuel supply, pointing out that the present crisis had a significantly negative impact on industries.  Several attempts made to contact the new Minister of Transport and Ministry officials on the supply of fuel for transportation failed.   


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