Health Minister promises talks on allowance parity amidst TU strike

Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana yesterday assured health trade unions that he would engage in a special discussion with the Ministry of Finance regarding their requests for an allowance comparable to the Rs. 35,000 granted to doctors recently. 

Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana provided this assurance while engaging with representatives from health trade unions at the Ministry of Health yesterday. The discussions aimed to address the demands raised by a coalition of at least 72 health service trade unions, excluding doctors, who initiated a 24-hour token strike on the same day. 

The unions initiated the strike with a demand for the inclusion of the Rs. 35,000 allowance, which is currently extended to doctors, for all individuals within the entire health services sector.

Due to the island-wide strike, the Government was forced to deploy the military to ensure the normal functioning of state-sector hospitals as health-sector workers only engaged in essential duties and emergency services. 

Pathirana also extended an invitation to representatives of the trade unions to participate in the special meeting with the Ministry of Finance, a proposal that their leaders accepted. The Minister assured he would fight to ensure the rights of health sector employees and highlighted the commendations received by Sri Lanka’s health service.