Health sector trade unions to meet Health Minister tomorrow

The collective of health sector trade unions are scheduled to meet Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana on Monday (19 Feb.).

According to the Health Trade Union Alliance, if talks regarding their disparities in allowances with the Minister fails, a decision will be taken tomorrow pertaining to their strike action, which was called off on Wednesday morning (14 Feb.).

On 14 February, the collective of trade unions decided to call off their strike action after the Minister agreed for a discussion with them.

The trade unions representing a wide range of health sector professionals – including radiology and laboratory technicians, pharmacists and drug compounders, midwives, dental surgeons, public health inspectors, and entomology officers – have engaged in strikes time and time again over the past few months urging the government to provide them with an allowance similar to that of the DAT (Disturbance, Availability and Transport) allowance given to doctors.

The trade union actions stemmed from the Cabinet Ministers’ approval of a proposal tabled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe seeking to double the DAT allowance paid to government doctors, raising it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000.