The Sri Lanka United Grama Niladhari Association (SLUGNA) have requested the Home Affairs Ministry to withdraw the circular which assigned most of the tasks performed by Grama Niladhari officials to development officers attached to the Home Affairs Ministry with immediate effect.
Addressing a media briefing held in yesterday, SLUGNA President W.M.P.B.Wanninayake said around 14,022 development officers attached to the Home Affairs Ministry have been assigned to the Grama Niladhari divisions while around 2,798 officers were assigned to the Divisional Secretariats.
While the Home affairs Ministry has published a list of duties and responsibilities for the development officers, all previously handled by Grama Niladhari officers. We will rise up against the attempts to handover our duties and responsibilities to the development officers,” he said.
“We are also opposing the move to implement this circular further assigning out duties and responsibilities to the development officers. He said that development officers too are not satisfied with this decision. The Minister has already called for proposals from both parties and we expect the problem will be solved shortly,” he said.
“Otherwise, We have to find a way of taking trade union action if there is no solution,” he added. He said a Grama Niladhari’s job is not an easy task. We have to work closely with the people every time to provide them a quality administrative service. But, our service is not confined to administrative affairs alone and we have to seek solutions to the personal problems of villages sometimes,” he said.
The Grama Niladhari officer is a public official whose working time is not limited to an eight hour working day. “Therefore,a salary should be amended considering the working time and the service we rendered. There is also a need a new service constitution to streamline the recruitments and solving several other anomalies and hardships affected to the service,” he added.