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| Tuesday, 10 August 2004 |
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Politics | |
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| TU leaders meet President : Workers to get higher wages from next budget President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga had told the trade union leaders who met her at the President House on August 6, that she would pay attention to paying higher wages at the ensuing budgetary stage to the workers of both the public and private sector who contributed their might towards the victory of the Freedom Alliance. The President in expressing her views about the grievances tabled by the workers pointed out that it was imperative to invest state funds on development activities while it was equally essential to pay higher wages to the workers of both the public and private sector who contributed their might towards the victory of the Freedom Alliance. She pledged to pay attention to this aspect at the ensuing budgetary stage. She also emphasised the importance of the cooperation of trade unions to combat corruption for the sake of an efficient and equitable governance. Presidents and Secretaries of 20 trade union federations met President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga at the President's House on August 6 on the initiative of Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana to discuss their common grievances, a media release dated August 9, issued by the WP Governor's office said. The payment of an allowance of Rs. 3,000 to state employees pending the rectification of salary anomalies, the deterioration of the public transport system, provision of redress to politically victimized employees in the aftermath of 2001 General Election, and recruitment in place of retrenched employees and access to Ministers and Deputy Ministers were the main issues discussed at this meeting. Labour Minister Athauda Seneviratne, Deputy Speaker Geethanjana Gunawardena,Deputy Ministers Mahindananda Aluthgama and Dr.Sisil Bandara Senaratne, trade union leaders Leslie Devendra, P. Jayatilleke, T. Wijetunga, Ranjith Hettiarachchi, D.H. Samarasena, D.M. Dissanayake, Tudor Ranasinghe, S. Geetharatne, Ranjith Weerasinghe, Victor Liyanage and Piyasoma Perera took part in the discussion. At the discussion it was agreed to introduce a system whereby every Minister or his Deputy will meet the trade union leaders of the institutions under their respective Ministries once in three months and to provide relief to all those who were subjected to political victimization with special attention to Railway employees. Convener Alavi Mowlana, Trade Union Leaders W.H. Piyadasa, D.M.D. Abeyratne, R.A. Britto, Somaweera Chandrasiri, D.C. Weerasekera, James Kariyawasam, P. Piyadasa and Hemasiri Jayalath were among those who expressed their views at this discussion. |
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