Health unions plan action prior to election

By Kumuduni Lakmali Bandara

Two health unions will be taking strike action before the election and they point out it has no connection to the election.
Supplementary medical professionals also will be staging a token strike tomorrow (18) and the day after (19) demanding solutions to their problems. Ravi Kumudesh, the president of the board of authority, Supplementary Medicine Professionals’ Union said that problems related to basic needs of supplementary medical professionals including medical laboratory technologists, physiotherapists and pharmacists etc., haven’t been solved for many years. He also said that they can not be silent anymore as they have been ignored while the needs of other professionals in the health field were met.

Five major requests

Five major requests based on charges for not providing a regular programme for past four years for supplementary medical professionals to enter University degree courses, not taking any step to pay due allowances and to remove salary anomaly etc. had been presented to the president by the association.
“A committee was appointed on the recommendation of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for removing salary anomalies created when doctors’ allowances alone were increased according to the cost of living index in 2008. The report of the Dr. Wimal Jayantha Committee, was finally presented but its recommendations haven’t been put in to action yet. No steps had been taken to provide the accident allowance either “said Ravi Kumudesh.
Not giving promotions to special grades related to administration services for 13 years, indirectly blocking first grade promotions which were granted after 16 years, not making administration affairs of the supplementary medical service regular are among the other major problems, Ravi Kumudesh explained. He pointed out that his association cancelled three strikes organized in 2009 on the agreements made with the authorities but these agreements were ignored by the Health Ministry Salary Commission and University Grants Commission.
The association had discussions with Dr. Nihal Jayathilaka, acting secretary of the Health Ministry, on 08 January and the secretary had asked for time until 11 January to consider demands. Supplementary medicine professionals have decided to stage the token strike as these discussions brought no result.

Nursing service

The Government Nurses’ Association too has decided to take union action charging that the nursing service has been continuously facing injustice from the government.
Obtaining a Rs. 3000 allowance, establishing a professional salary structure, making the nursing degree a four year course, a five day work week, revising recruitment procedure are their five major demands. Accordingly, they held mass protests before 15 major teaching hospitals in the island including Colombo National Hospital on 30December and 06 January.
Saman Rathnapriya, president of the Government Nurses’ Association said that the executive committee will take a decision when to take strike action during the course of this week.