brand logo

Union action if no vaccine: Station masters

28 Jun 2021

By Buddhika Samaraweera   The Sri Lanka Station Masters’ Union (SLSMU) has warned that unless formal arrangements are made within this week to administer the Covid-19 vaccine to station masters and other staff members at railway stations, they will resort to Trade Union (TU) action. When contacted by The Morning to inquire about this, SLSMU General Secretary Kasun Chamara said that they had requested from several authorities, including the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), that a programme be prepared to administer Covid-19 vaccine to more than 900 station masters and nearly 1,500 railway station staff members. According to Chamara, the SLSMU has requested the DGHS, the Ministry of Transport Secretary, and the Railway Department Acting General Manager to make arrangements to roll out vaccines for them. “Station masters and other staff at railway stations are constantly dealing with passengers, especially when issuing train tickets. Since there are not enough buses and trains these days, many passengers are gathered at railway stations islandwide, and we are at a higher risk of contracting the virus. We, therefore, asked to work out a programme to provide us with the vaccine, but so far there has been no response from any of the parties to whom we informed the matter,” he said. Chamara also said that with the intervention of the Transport Ministry, about 400 employees of the Railway Department were given the Covid-19 vaccine, but of these, only 100 were staff members at railway stations. He said that although some had received the Covid-19 vaccine during regional vaccination programmes in some places, it was important to implement a vaccination programme targeting station masters and other staff, when considering the current situation. Attempts to contact Transport Minister Gamini Lokuge, Ministry Secretary Monty Ranatunga, and DGHS Dr. Asela Gunawardena to inquire into the matter were unsuccessful. However, Railway Department Acting General Manager W.A.D. Gunasinghe, when contacted by The Morning, said that discussions have been held with the health authorities and the National Operation Centre for Prevention of Covid-19 Outbreak regarding the provision of Covid-19 vaccines to the staff of the Railway Department. All possible steps will be taken at the department level to vaccinate Railway Department employees as soon as possible, he said.


More News..