• Claim that to-be-gazetted Service Constitution not ‘progressive’

The latest meeting between the Grama Niladhari (GN) officers and the authorities which was held yesterday (8) has failed to provide solutions to the demands of GN officers, prompting GN unions to consider intensifying the ongoing trade union action.

According to the GN Trade Union Alliance’s Convenor, Jagath Chandralal, at the meeting with Public Administration and Home Affairs Ministry officials, the decisions that have been taken with regard to the GN officials’ demands had been announced, which he said were not satisfactory to resolve their issues. 

“The Service Constitution is scheduled to be gazetted without progressive solutions concerning our demands. We cannot agree with that, and we oppose the move. Therefore, we expressed our opposition as unions, and left the meeting,” Chandralal told The Daily Morning following the meeting, adding that the solutions that the authorities are prepared to provide are those preferred by the Ministry and not those sought by the GN officers. 

He further added that due to this problematic situation, GN trade unions will hold a meeting to collectively decide on how to intensify their future actions to win their demands.

Recently, it was reported that Cabinet of Ministers approval had been granted to increase the salaries and allowances of more than 13,000 GN officers. Quoting Home Affairs State Minister Ashoka Priyantha, media outlets further reported that the draft of the Service Constitution had been submitted for the approval of the Public Service Commission in order to establish the Sri Lanka GN Service. However, GN officers expressed doubts about these responses from the authorities, alleging that although there is a Service Constitution which has been agreed upon by the subject Ministry and the trade unions, the authorities were trying to pass a Service Constitution which has not been formed with the involvement of GN officers.