Railway trade unions to go ahead with strike if discussions fail

Railway trade unions have stressed that they would proceed with their strike action if the discussions with the Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera fail to reach a solution.

Chairman of the Railway Controllers’ Association and Convener of the Railway Trade Union Alliance Lal Ariyaratne stated that the representatives of railway trade unions are due to meet with the Finance Minister at 2.00 p.m. this afternoon (20).

The railway trade unions had decided to launch a strike action from midnight yesterday (19), however, it was temporarily suspended as the Minister of Transport Arjuna Ranatunga had agreed to schedule a meeting with the Finance Minister.

The strike action, which was based on existing salary anomalies in the railway service, would be continued if the discussions fail, Mr Ariyaratne emphasized.