Uni. Non-academics to meet NSCC tomorrow

Hopeful of positive response

September 27, 2011, 9:54 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

University non-academics are scheduled to meet officials of the National Salaries and Cadre Commission (NSCC) tomorrow (29) to discuss matters relating to anomalies in their salaries, which have not been rectified since 2006. They will put forward their proposals on rectifying the anomalies.

Representatives from the University Grants Commission (UGC), Higher Education Ministry and the Treasury are also expected to participate in the discussions.

President of the Inter University Trade Union Federation (IUTUF) told The Island yesterday that their executive committee would meet tomorrow afternoon to decide the future course of trade union action, which would be based on outcome of the discussion.

"We have already planned to take trade union action if government fails to resolve the problem as soon as possible," he said adding they would decide what action should be performed, based on the discussion with NSCC.

Chandrapala said that they however expect a positive response from the NSCC to their proposal at tomorrow’s meeting.

University non-academics, including administrative officers, performed a sick-note campaign in universities island wide on September 12 and threatened a token strike within 14 days demanding that the government take urgent steps to rectify anomalies in their salaries.

Chandrapala said that all successive governments, after 2006, had failed to honour the pledges made to non-academics and the problem had worsened now.

"This time, we launched our protest by holding a demonstration opposite the UGC on August 03," he said adding they would cripple universities overnight if the government continues to disregard their agitation.

 

GMOA vows to take legal action

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) Central Working Committee which met recently has unanimously decided to take legal action if the Higher Education Ministry did not oblige to the demands of the union to shut down the private medical university in Malabe.

GMOA Spokesman Dr. Upul Gunasekara said the union would send a letter of demand to Higher Education Minister S.B Dissanayake this week and may choose to take legal action depending on the response.

“We have received an approval to go ahead with the legal process. But we will wait for a response from the ministry,” Dr. Gunasekara said.

He said the union had decided on two courses of action. If the ministry chooses to dissolve the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), the GMOA will resort to islandwide trade union action without prior notice. “According to the Medical Ordinance doctors cannot practice without having registered with the SLMC. Therefore our licence to practise medicine will be annulled automatically if the SLMC is dissolved,” he said.

He also said if the Health Ministry permitted the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) to use any hospital in the country as proposed recently, the GMOA would go on an all island protest. “Hospitals are run on people’s taxes. We cannot allow a private institution of this nature to use public resources,” he said. (By Olindhi Jayasundere)

 

 

GMOA summons hurried Exco meeting claiming harassment

September 27, 2011, 9:56 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA)has hurriedly summoned an executive committee meeting today (28) in Colombo to decide their future course of action claiming harassment of some of their members who are working actively against the Malabe Private Medical College.

GMOA Assistant Secretary Dr. Sankalpa Marasinghe told The Island yesterday that their general committee which included representatives from countrywide government hospitals too meets tomorrow (29) to take immediate action against what he termed harassment of doctors.

"GMOA President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya’s personal file has already been removed from the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital, Borella," he said adding it happened on Monday as Dr. Padeniya actively worked against the Malabe PMC.

Issuing an extraordinary gazette notification numbered 1721 – 19 of Aug. 30, 2011, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake legalized the Malabe PMC and University Grants Commission (UGC) awarded the MBBS degree awarding status to it, which is similar to the government medical faculties, he said.

The GMOA officially launched their protest against the PMC a month ago by threatening a countrywide strike, but it was postponed due to the Ministry’s assurance on appointing a committee to investigate the standards of the PMC.

Dr. Marasinghe said that everyday their members are receiving threatening calls. Active members who work against the PMC are being followed by unidentified persons from last week.

He warned they would continue the protests despite all the threats and harassments.

"The Health Ministry appointed the committee recently to investigate the standards of the PMC as they promised to us," Dr. Marasinghe said adding that they will launch their future protests with the outcome of the committee’s findings.

Health Ministry spokesman, W. M. D. Wanninayake, when contacted by The Island for comment said that the ministry has appointed a five member committee to investigate the standards of the PMC.

He said that the ministry has also requested the PMC not to enroll students until the committee submits its report within two months.

"We will act according to the committee’s report," said Wanninayake.

FUTA awaits NSCC recommendationsby Dasun Edirisinghe

September 27, 2011, 9:57 pm

University teachers who were on warpath against the government for its inability to increase the salaries are now waiting for the National Salaries and Cadre Commission’s (NSCC) recommendation to resolve their grievances.

FUTA Secretary, Dr. Terrance Madhujith told The Island yesterday that the NSCC accepted their proposal to increase the salaries at a meeting held on September 21.

"We proposed to the NSCC to add 20% to the basic salary of university teachers as the increment," he said adding that the NSCC officials promised to come back as soon as possible after consulting their superiors.

Dr. Madhujith said that the government had a history of reneging on promises it made to university teachers since 2008, but this time the Higher Education Ministry promised to grant their dues in the 2012 budget.

Representatives from the University Grants Commission (FUTA), Treasury, FUTA and NSCC participated in the discussion, he said.

University teachers resorted to trade union action to pressure the government to rectify their salary anomalies, with a token strike on March 15, 2011. They resigned from university administrative posts on May 09 to further press their case.

"We stopped our trade union action based on several promises given by the Government," he said.

The FUTA proposed, Dr. Madhujith said that to create a special professional category for university teachers, but the government has yet to responded to that.

He said that they also urged that 6% of the GDP (Gross Domestic Production) be allocated to education and it too has yet to be accepted by the government.