A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, June 1, 2014
FUTA ready for token strike on June 3
Dewasiri
"Everything is now ready for our token strike with all unions attached
to the Federation of University Teachers’ Association confirming their
participation on June 3," said Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri , Past
President of FUTA.
"We are now ready to resume our trade union action to seek our demands",
said Chandragupta Thenuwara, President, (FUTA) at a press conference
held at the University of Colombo faculty centre last week. "We begin
with a token strike on June 3.’’
Prof Rohan Fernando, General Secretary FUTA added "Except for the Uva
Wellassa University where they did not permit the right to association
and the South Eastern University where the only two trade unions are
inactive, academics in every other university will take part in our
symbolic strike, deemed necessary to reawaken the government to our
demands.’’
The government had agreed to several issues in a joint statement
released to the public by the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and
FUTA which at the time was preceded by a Note to Cabinet signed by
Ministers S B Dissanayake and Basil Rajapakse according to a press
release by the FUTA.
FUTA and the authorities abandoned the strike action on October 12, 2012
following assurances given by Minister Basil Rajapakse, at the time 100
day long trade union action.
Among the issues the FUTA wishes to take up is the issue of salary
increase of academics, increasing allocation for education,
establishment
of a presidential commission to look into education reforms and
appointing of a high level committee to establish a special category for
university academics. FUTA also wants the government to address issues
of deterioration of university autonomy and academic freedom within the
state university system.
On Tuesday (June 3) the strike will be led from the Colombo University
premises where academics will gather at around 9 am where they will have
a meeting followed by a protest campaign.
"The research allowance that was granted as an interim and compromise
solution to salary grievances has completely failed ,’’ said Dewasiri. I
believe that even Chairman of the University Grants Commission Shanika
Hirumburegama had problems drawing her research allowance. There are now
audit queries raised on the allowance."
Reacting to the forthcoming strike, one student exclaimed "Oh god! Not
again. We have lost so much time and it looks like the academic year is
going to be extended.’’
Commenting on the demands Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Senior Minister for
International Monetary Co-operation and Deputy Minister of Finance and
Planning said "If you start giving the increases they are asking for
without addressing the many and serious issues in education this will
all end up as salary increments. The curriculum has to be addressed. The
position of the arts versus sciences have to be addressed. And it is
certainly not one of allocations as I see it. I think we have a Minister
of Higher Education who is actually trying to do what is right".
One trade union leader who requested anonymity said "The FUTA needs
support but there are several issues here that require attention.
Normally trade union action would be clearly towards one two or three
demands. Here there is a shopping list, and the people will not be able
to comprehend why the strike is going on, which means that soliciting
support would remain academic.
"Now that they have called upon the AHS faculty students to return to
class, I don’t really know how they can go on strike without harming
both the students and the trade union action objectives".