Health Strike : Talks fail and Trade Unions to continue strike

by Zulfick Farzan 08-02-2022 | 4:00 PM

COLOMBO (News 1st); Talks between the Health Minister and the Health Trade Unions to solve a series of issues failed on Tuesday (8).

Trade Union leaders have vowed to continue with their strike action.

Earlier in the day, heavy traffic was reported along Deans Road in Colombo opposite the Health Ministry due to a protest by health workers.

Hundreds of health workers marched from the Vihara Maha Devi Park in Colombo to the Health Ministry against the government's failure to remove salary anomalies and address their grievances, despite recent token strikes.

The unions demand that the authorities eliminate existing salary disparities in the sector just as they eliminated the teacher and principal salary anomalies.

Health workers across Sri Lanka including nurses, and Public Health Inspectors are on strike citing multiple demands.

They resorted to the indefinite trade union action from Monday (7).

As a result of the strike activities at the Colombo General Hospital, Kandy General Hospital, 24 Teaching Hispitals, 26 General Hospitals, 46 Base Hospitals, 410 District Hospitals and 293 MOH Officers came to a complete standstill.