The State Service National Trade Union Federation yesterday said 252 key trade unions will not participate in the trade union action launched by the Government Medical Officers’ Association together with several trade unions in the public sector.
Udeni Dissanayake of the All Island Management Assistants Association asked the GMOA members where they were when the SAITM was established by the previous government. He said this Association failed to utter a single world against the SAITM during the previous regime.
“The GMOA is trying to take innocent patients hostage to achieve their petty political objectives,” he said.
He said there are many degree-awarding institutions in the country but the GMOA members have not raised their objections against these institutions. Sri Lanka Postal and Telecommunications Services Association President Chinthaka Bandara said every citizen has a right to education.
He said 125,000 students pass GCE Advanced Level Examination, but only 26,000 people are entrolled to State universities. “We should think of the rights of other students who have passed the GCE AL examination,” he said.
He said the GMOA is using public servants to achieve their petty objectives. “This is against the well-established norms and practices of trade unions.”
Sri Lanka Estate Employees Association General Secretary Wadivel Suresh said plantation employees have less knowledge on SAITM and they do not have any issue over SAITM.
There are many hospitals in the estate sector and the estate employees including tea pluckers will face much inconvenience if GMOA launches a strike.
“GMOA’s attempt to achieve their narrow objectives at the expense of innocent lives cannot be condoned,” he said.