University dons on token strike tomorrow

April 24, 2012, 10:06 pm , The Island.

by Dasun Edirisinghe

University teachers will stage a token strike tomorrow (26) against the government’s delay in granting their demands as promised.

Vice President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Ven. Dambara Amila thera told a news conference yesterday that if the government failed to grant their demands after tomorrow’s token strike they would launch an all-out strike immediately thereafter.

"The government cheated us several times during the recent past," he said adding that the government had broken all the promises given to them.

FUTA’s main demands are consult university teachers when taking decision regarding the higher education sector, especially on establishing private universities, immediate grant of the promised salary hike and allocate 6% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the higher education sector.

University teachers resorted to trade union action to pressure the government to rectify their salary anomalies on March 15 last year. They vacated their volunteer posts, in protest, but suspended the trade union action on a government assurance that their salary anomalies will be solved through the last budget.

Amila thera said that university teachers suspended their trade union action in July 2011 on the government’s promise to solve the problem immediately.

"We can resume the suspended trade union action anytime," he warned.