Railway station masters on strike again

Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union has initiated another trade union action with immediate effect, Ada Derana learns.

They resorted to this strike action after the union’s vice chairman was interdicted.

The station masters’ move came hours after they called off the 24-hour token strike they had launched yesterday.

Station masters across the island had withdrawn from all duties for a period of 24 hours from midnight on January 12, citing several issues including the unannounced cancellation of long-distance trains without prior notice, improper administration of railway staff and not implementing the directives of the Transport State Minister. 

As a number of office trains and all long-distance trains were cancelled due to the strike action, only 80 office trains were in operation yesterday.

Scores of passengers, including foreign tourists, were stranded at railway stations as a result. Some said they had their seats reserved many weeks ago.

Angered by the sudden cancellation of trains, some passengers had attacked the compartments of Batticaloa-bound ‘Meenagaya’ intercity express train, which departs from Colombo Fort, at the Kekirawa railway station.

Stranded passengers at the Kandy railway station meanwhile attacked the security room. Police had brought the situation under control and used buses to send the passengers off to their destinations.