Varsity non academics threaten TU action

January 15, 2012, 9:45 pm , The Island.

by Dasun Edirisinghe

A crucial meeting between university non academics and higher education minister S. B. Dissanayake will be held tomorrow (17) at the ministry on resolving their long dragging salary anomalies.

President of the Inter University Trade Union Federation R. M. Chandrapala told The Island that they had discussed the issues related to rectification of salary anomalies with the Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne on Friday, but talks were not cordial.

"As talks with the secretary failed, we demanded to meet the minister," he said adding that they would decide next course of trade union action based on the progress of the discussion.

Chandrapala said that their executive meeting would meet tomorrow afternoon in Colombo to deicide future actions.

The trade unionist said that through their token strike on Nov. 02, they had reminded the government again that the universities could not run without their support. All non-academic trade unions of the universities including administrative and executive officers, would support the trade union action, he said.

Chandrapala said that they were fighting for the correction of their anomalies since 2006 as all successive government’s cheated them.

This time they launched the fresh protest on Aug. 03 by holding a protest opposite the University Grants Commission.

Meanwhile, Minister Dissanayake met university non academic trade unions who represent the ruling party yesterday and promised to solve the problem shortly.