UGC says ‘no pay’ circular stands
FUTA members already paid for strike days

November 22, 2012, 10:59 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Although the UGC has decided against abolishing the controversial circular No. 890 of June 7, 2007, which deprives university employees of their salaries during a strike, the university teachers, who struck work for one hundred days at a stretch, from July 04, have already been paid their salaries for that period, The Island learns.

The university teachers were paid their salaries for more than three months, in spite of their strike, in keeping with an agreement between the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

The abolition of eight circulars including No. 890 is one of FUTA’s main demands.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, contacted for comment, confirmed that university teachers had already been paid their salaries for the period between July 04 and Oct. 12.

Asked whether the FUTA would object to the UGC’s decision to retain the controversial circular, Dr. Dewasiri said a decision on that matter would be taken at the FUTA Executive Committee meeting scheduled for Nov. 29.

Having suspended the 100-day-long strike, consequent to an agreement with the government, the FUTA said that the government would have to face the consequences if the latter failed to honour its promises.