In the wake of the strike launched by the university non-academic staff trade unions, which continued for about a week, the State Ministry of Higher Education urged the non-academic staff to return to work, considering the inconveniences caused to the students.

The continuous strike started by the trade unions of university non-academic staff on 2 May, demands solutions for existing disparities in the salaries of university non-academic staff and the receipt of a monthly compensation allowance. According to the Joint Committee of University Trade Unions of non-academic staff, about 13,000 non-academic staffers have withdrawn from all services since 2 May.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (7), the State Minister of Higher Education Dr. Suren Raghavan said that the university non-academic staff members should engage in discussions with the Government to reach a consensus about the respective demands after returning to work. Stating that the strike has caused a loss of 1.8 million man hours per day while causing a loss of Rs. 125 million per day, he noted that such professionals must be sensitive towards matters and use approaches that are not harmful for the students’ future. 

He also said that the discussions regarding the demands are handled by the Minister of Education, attorney Dr. Susil Premajayantha, and that he (Dr. Raghavan) does not participate in the discussions. 

“I believe that these people must be different from others. They shouldn’t behave like other ordinary workers. They are well-educated people. They are dealing with students' academic lives. We respect their right to protest and engage in trade union action. But, I urge them to return to work and engage in discussions to win their demands,” he added.

Several attempts to contact Dr. Premajayantha, the Secretary to the Education Ministry Thilaka Jayasundara, and the Vice Chancellors of the Universities of Colombo and Kelaniya proved futile.