The islandwide token strike launched by around 27,000 postal workers will continue until midnight tonight (12) as was earlier decided, since no fruitful response has come from the Government thus far, claimed the Joint Postal Trade Union Collective.

Speaking to the media yesterday (11), the collective’s Joint Convenor Chinthaka Bandara said that the strike was launched against the Government’s alleged attempt to hand over a number of historical buildings which were initially owned by the Postal Department to certain private sector companies under the guise of a tourism promotion campaign.

Speaking further, he claimed that even though the Government is in a hurry to take over the postal buildings, it has not taken any steps thus far to address postal workers’ issues and other administrative shortcomings in the Department. He claimed that instead of addressing those issues, the Government is attempting to privatise the Department which has been considered a noble service since historical times. He noted that around 27,000 postal workers had joined the strike and that it was also launched demanding an allowance of Rs. 20,000 for government employees from January next year (2024).

Last month (November), Postmaster General S.R.W.M.R.P. Sathkumara, issuing a statement in this regard, stated that no post office owned by the Department of Posts would be closed and that the President’s Secretary has been informed of the agreement to hand over the Nuwara Eliya post office building to the Urban Development Authority (UDA) in order to allow for a more effective investment opportunity as per the Government’s policy. Cabinet Spokesman and Mass Media Minister Dr. Bandula Gunawardana has also assured that the UDA would provide a suitable building in its place to operate the said post office.

Following the controversy, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had meanwhile issued an Extraordinary Gazette notification last month declaring the postal service as an essential public service.

Several attempts made to contact Postmaster General Sathkumara proved futile.