Teacher's Unions respond to Governor Collure's actions

COLOMBO (News 1st); Teacher's Unions in the Uva Province claim the Provincial Governors decision to slash the November salary of teachers who do not report to work tomorrow (21), is a complete disregard to the laws of the country. On Tuesday (19) Uva Province Governor Raja Collure, who is also the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Communist Party, said he is considering a salary slash for teachers who do not report to work on the 21st of October. The Sri Lanka Communist Party is one of the strong leftist movements in the country, and its chairman said teachers who report to work on the 25th of October, after taking part in the trade union action, will not be allowed to enter the school premises. "According to the Labour Law, when a strike is on, the striking workers are not paid," he said. On Monday (18), the Southern Province Ministry of Education decided to appoint a senior teacher present in school on the 21st of October, as a temporary replacement for principals that do not report to work on that day. M.A. Wimalasiri, the Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers' Service for the Uva Province Branch condemned the statements from the Uva Province Governor. "We are ready to take all necessary action to retaliate against this move," he said. Meanwhile, Sarath Premasiri, the Kurunegala District Chairman of the Ceylon Teachers Union alleged that teachers and principals being threatened marks the demise of free education in the Uva Province. Premasiri added that teachers and principals will not be reporting to schools on 21st and 22nd November, and will only report to work on 25th November.