Forty trade unions demand Rs. 10,000 as New Year allowance

 

By Aisha Edris
The Trade Union Confederation comprising of 40 trade unions in the country has warned President Mahinda Rajapaksa that they would be compelled to take vigorous action against the government and the Treasury if it fails to increase their New Year allowance to Rs. 10,000.

The confederation’s General Secretary Saman Rathnapriya said the trade unions had sent a letter requesting the President to increase their New Year allowance from Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 10,000.

“We cannot celebrate our New Year due to the skyrocketing cost of living; this is why we requested the President to increase our allowance to Rs.10,000. If the government does not increase our allowance, indicates that the government does not want its employees to have a joyful New Year,” Rathnapriya stated.

He noted that the government had stopped giving disaster loans and house loans to government employees since last August.
“The government stopped giving us loans saying that they need the monies to spend on the war and it could not afford to give us loans. They do not increase our salaries but the prices of goods keep on increasing daily. How can we afford to live on such small salaries?” he queried.

Rathnapriya also stated that in the event the government increases electricity tariffs, government servants would be in “total darkness” as they would not be able afford such a hike.

He further warned that if the government did not increase the salaries and New Year allowance of its employees, the union would resort to strict trade union action against the government.