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| Thursday, 18 December 2003 |
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Taps run dry islandwide by Chamikara Weerasinghe The Joint Trade Union Federation of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board has decided to take a tough stand pertaining to their salary demands. The Union claims the strike decision is a response to the strong arm tactics resorted by the authorities to put down their trade union action. Joint Trade Union Federation Convenor Upali Ratnayake said yesterday they will resort to a countrywide strike if the authorities fail to meet their demands. He said the authorities action to suppress their strike yesterday by using police compelled them to push their token strike into an islandwide strike. Ratnayake blamed the authorities for creating an "unnecessary situation" against their legitimate right of trade union action. He said police had taken over water supply operations at the Ambatale Treatment Plant. This has resulted in contaminated water supply to the public since the purification could only be done by experts. Ratnayake explaining why they struck work yesterday, said the recommendations proposed by the B. C. Perera Salary Revisions Committee to Housing and Plantation Infrastructure Minister Arumugam Thondaman will only lead to a salary reduction. "We will not even get the Rs. 1,250 promised in the budget if this was enforced," he said. "The Minister has not paid attention to our request to rectify this glaring shortcomings and insists on implementing the recommendations by force," he said. Meanwhile, National Water Supply and Drainage Board, General Manager Mithra Wickremage said Minister Thondaman had told the striking unions to come out with proposals to resolve the issue at a meeting with them on Tuesday. "But they have not responded," he said. Wickremage said the Board is only concerned about providing an uninterrupted water supply to its consumers and steps have been taken to ensure the supplies in the event of a strike. He admitted their supplies were interrupted in areas outside Colombo. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were the worst affected due to yesterday's strike, he said. |
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