Court extends interim injunction against striking bank trade unions

The Colombo District Judge has extended the interim injunction issued on workers of three state banks preventing the trade unions from threatening and obstructing workers who report for duty.

Judge Rashmi Singappuli extended the order until 20  January when the petition filed by three banks - Bank of Ceylon, the National Savings Bank and the People’s Bank - was taken up for consideration.

The court issued the related interim enjoining order for on 14 December preventing the Lanka Bank Employees Union from engaging in strike actions until 28 December.

The trade union collective had planned to launch an island wide strike on 15 December but following Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s special statement in parliament on 14 December, several trade unions decided to call off the strike action. However, all bank unions have decided to proceed with the strike.