Dons’ strike ends

University teachers yesterday decided to suspend their trade union action accepting the interim solution proposed by the Government on the salary increase.

The Chairman of the Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Thevasiri told that the union had decided to suspend their two and half month old trade union action. “We have decided to suspend the trade union action subject to approval by faculty unions of each university” he said.

FUTA has had several rounds of discussions with the government including the President, all of which ended in stalemate. At an earlier meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa it was agreed to increase salaries of senior professors beyond Rs.110 000. However there were still issues pertaining to the salary scales of university teachers from lower grades. A round of discussions that took place at the start of the week resulted in a stalemate as the Finance Ministry did not respond positively to the salary scales that were suggested by FUTA.

University teachers in Sri Lanka are among the lowest paid in Sri Lanka with salaries starting from as low as Rs.20, 000 according to reports. During the last two and a half months the dons held protest marches and even handed in letters of resignation to note their plight. More discussions are expected to resolve the issue completely.