• CTU charges that if issues are not solved, making teaching an essential service will not help
• Teachers and Ass. Principals to protest in front of their schools today, Principals to protest in Colombo on 10
• SLPPA to work to rule

 Teachers’ and Principals’ trade unions (TUs) have warned that they will continue their protest actions, including strikes, to demand the Government to address the teacher-principal salary anomaly issue.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (30 June), the President of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Priyantha Fernando, said that they would return to schools today (1 July) after a two-day strike on 27 and 28 June. However, he mentioned that they would organise protests in front of every school tomorrow (2 July) and continue with protest actions, including strikes, to demand a permanent solution to the salary anomaly issue.

“President Ranil Wickremesinghe recently said that he would declare teaching an essential service if we continue our strikes. We also recognise that teaching is an essential service, which is why we demand the Government to resolve our issues. The President should first study the Cabinet Sub Committee report prepared during former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s tenure. Instead of doing so, if the President declares teaching an essential service to prevent strikes, it will not be successful. We will discuss our future actions in the coming days, and strikes will also be launched,” he said.

When contacted by The Daily Morning, the President of the Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU), Piyasiri Fernando, stated that several principals’ TUs would also launch actions in the coming days, demanding the Government resolve their issues, including salary anomalies. According to him, principals from several TUs plan to protest in Colombo on 10 July.

During a visit to the Chief Prelate (Mahanayaka) of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Siam Sect, Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thera, last week, President Wickremesinghe emphasised the importance of teachers being present in schools during school hours for the education of children. He warned that if this commitment is not upheld, and school children are deprived of their education as a result, necessary measures would be taken to designate the teaching profession as an essential service.

The Minister for Education, Dr. Susil Premajayantha was not available for comment. Discussions between the ministry and the Teacher – Principal trade unions had failed to reach common ground earlier.

Meanwhile, Principals, Vice Principals, and Assistant Principals have decided to launch indefinite trade union action with effect from today (1 July) demanding that their issues, including those relating to salaries and allowances, be addressed forthwith.

Sri Lanka Professional Principals’ Association (SLPPA) President Sugeeshwara Wimalaratne told The Daily Morning that as part of trade union action, principals will stop all duties involving the use of personal mobile phones until the phone allowance is received, refrain from travelling outside the workplace if transport facilities or applicable allowances are not provided, refrain from working after office hours, i.e. after 2 p.m. and on public holidays, withdraw from all extra duties except certain essential duties, delaying the provision of information required by the zonal, provincial, and Isurupaya offices from schools in opposition to delays on the part of those institutions, and refrain from fulfilling any task with voluntarily raised funds if the Government does not provide the necessary funds.

Earlier, principals said that their demands have gone unaddressed, prompting them to resort to rigorous action and perform only the duties they are officially required to perform. In addition to salary and allowance-related issues, their hardships extend to recognition and basic work-related facilities, according to principals.

The teacher-principal TUs launched an islandwide action by reporting sick on 27 June, resulting in over 10,000 schools across the country being closed. The teachers and principals initiated a protest march from the Colombo Fort Railway Station to Lotus Road in Colombo, where the Police dispersed the protest using tear gas and water cannons. In response to the Police’s actions, the teachers and principals extended their strike to the following day.