Promised pay hike not granted from budget - FUTA

November 22, 2011, 10:07 pm , The Island.

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) yesterday said the government had reneged on its promise to increase the salary of a senior professor to Rs. 143,000 from the Budget 2012.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri told The Island that when they resorted to trade union action few months back demanding the rectification of their salary anomalies and a pay hike, the government had promised to consider the implementation of FUTA proposals in four phases.

The government had undertaken to increase the salaries of senior professors from the Budget as the second phase, Dr. Devasiri said. Asked whether his federation would resume trade union action in protest, he said the FUTA would take up the matter with the government first.

University teachers resigned from their voluntarily administrative posts on May 9 this year in protest against delay on the part of the government to redress their grievances. However, after a lapse of two months they suspended their trade union action when Higher Education Ministry agreed to grant their demands.

Dr. Devasiri said the FUTA was ready to resume trade union action should the government refuse to honour its promise.

"We had several discussions with the National Salaries and Cadres Commission (NSCC) and they, too, agreed to our demands," Dr. Devasiri said. He, however, noted that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had said in his budget speech that a circular would be issued to rectify the salary anomalies in the public sector by Dec. 31, 2011.

According to Secretary to the NSCC Bandula Wijeratne, the Commission is awaiting the circular, Dr. Devasiri said.

University teachers resorted to trade union action to pressure the government to rectify their salary anomalies on March 15 this year.