Railway Gatekeepers End Protest, But Technical Staff To Begin Token Strike

COLOMBO (News 1st); Railway technical staff across Sri Lanka have decided to commence a token strike from 8:00 AM today (26), protesting against the reduction of overtime allowances. The strike is expected to continue until tomorrow (27) morning.

According to Sampath Amarawansa, the joint convener of the Railway Trade Union Alliance in Ratmalana, the decision was made after repeated appeals to the Railway Department failed to yield a satisfactory response.

The strike involves railway technical managers and assistants, and while it is not a full-scale work stoppage, it is expected to impact operations and maintenance schedules.

Meanwhile, railway gatekeepers, who had been on strike since yesterday, have called off their protest and resumed duties today.

Their absence had caused significant disruptions to train services, particularly on coastal and Puttalam lines, where several level crossings remained open overnight.

In some areas, train drivers and controllers were seen manually managing traffic at crossings, signaling vehicles to stop as trains approached.

In Galle’s Makuluwa area, a train assistant was observed stepping off the train to prevent vehicles from entering the tracks due to unmanned gates.

Railway General Manager Dhammika Jayasundara confirmed that gatekeeper services have returned to normal.