• Claims asking for same benefits, unfair

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) noted that while demands of non-academic staff must be addressed by the Government, it (the FUTA) would not endorse any kind of allowance equal to that given to academics being given to non-academic staff.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, FUTA Chairman Prof. Barana Jayawardena noted that if non-academics demanded an allowance equal to that given to academics, such a demand could not be accepted since the two groups were at two different levels in the Government service. However, he said that the demands of non-academics related to salaries and allowances should be addressed by authorities since they had a right to demand anything that they required. 

Prof. Jayawardena stated that the non-academic contribution to the continuation of the academic process could not be neglected, and that therefore, their issues must also be heard. “The FUTA does not want to block any demand from non-academics. We accept their right to demand a salary or allowance increase. The Government should give them those benefits. But if they demand the same allowance that was given to us, that is totally unfair and baseless. We are two different groups,” he said.

He further said that even though the recent allowance increase was given to academics as compensation for the money that they lost as a result of the pay-as-you-earn tax, that amount was not sufficient in comparison with the salary that they received in 2019.

Earlier last month, the Cabinet of Ministers greenlit President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s resolution seeking to increase the study allowance granted to university lecturers by 25%. It was decided that this allowance would be included in their January salary. 

Following the said decision, non-academic staff members of State universities engaged in several trade union actions in protest of the Government’s decision to increase only the allowances for lecturers. They demanded the immediate increase in the monthly compensation allowance given to university non-academic staff.