Healthcare workers across Sri Lanka commenced a continuous strike at 6:30 AM today, demanding equal allowances of 35,000 rupees. The strike follows unsuccessful negotiations with the Ministry of Finance, as health trade unions protest against the government’s decision to grant the allowance solely to doctors, excluding other healthcare professionals.
In a unified show of solidarity, members of 72 health trade unions in Sri Lanka launched a continuous strike action at 6:30 AM today, demanding parity in allowances. The demand for an allowance of 35,000 rupees comes in response to the government’s recent decision to restrict the allowance solely to doctors, disregarding other healthcare professionals.
This latest strike action marks the culmination of discontent simmering within the healthcare sector, with previous symbolic strikes failing to elicit a satisfactory response from authorities. Despite assurances of addressing their grievances, discussions held with finance ministry officials and health professionals’ societies on Monday failed to yield a resolution, prompting the escalation to a full-fledged strike.
In light of the potential disruption to essential healthcare services, Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana acknowledged the possibility of deploying military personnel to mitigate the impact. However, definitive action in response to the strike remains pending, with authorities yet to finalize their course of action.
