Striking the public

Railway employees blocked the gates to Fort Railway station leaving thousands stranded outside

Colleagues helping Ashoka Malkanthi, a minor employee from Matara Hospital who is on hunger strike

By Ranee Mohamed  Minor employee of the  Mulleriyawa Hospital, W.M. Dharshana Manjula could barely talk, but he was in a fit of rage Thursday noon. "I am prepared to die to make our unfair health services wake up. I am making this sacrifice on behalf of over 80,000 employees of the health services who have been unfairly treated," he whispered. Young Dharshana is married, with a five year old daughter.

Health workers attending W.M. Dharshana Manjula, a minor employee of Mulleriyawa Hospital

Without food for four days Manjula's lips were dry his body showed other signs of dehydration. Manjula's  condition was deteriorating before the eyes of thousands of his colleagues.

Inside the major  hospitals of the city, the condition was even worse as hundreds of poor ailing women and children waited for the queues to move. Things were expected to worsen by Monday as the Health Services Trade Union vowed to call an islandwide strike if  the government ignored their suffering colleagues.

Near the Eye Hospital in Town Hall was a large crowd with tears in their eyes. Most of them were clad in white, and from time to time they peered over the walls of the adjoining Health Ministry. Emotions were varying and provoked as these employees of the country's health sector sat vigil before the stage of 12 of their starving colleagues.

Twelve employees of the country's government health services are on a death fast. They are E. Dharmakeerthi a radiographer of the National Hospital in Colombo, Susantha Rajapaksa, a driver of the Kalubowila Hospital, L. K. H. Thilakasena,  a clerk at the Matara Hospital, N.J.L. Gunewardene, a driver at the Avissawella Hospital, Thushara Ilankone, a clerk at the National Hospital, T.H. Somaratna, a minor employee at the National Hospital, Ashoka Malkanthi a minor employee at the Matara Hospital, K.S.P. Alwis, a minor employee at Mulleriyawa Hospital,  Uditha Kumara Dissanayake, a minor employee at the Mulleriyawa Hospital, J. A. Pushpa Nilmini, a minor employee at the National Hospital, K.M.S.P. Ratnayake a minor employee of the National Hospital and W.M. Dharshan Manjula of the Mulleriyawa Hospital.

Condition worsening

Being employees of the health services, their starving colleagues were given every possible health aid to be comfortable, but Ashoka Malkanthi, clad in white could barely talk. Without food for four days, her condition was worsening before one's eyes. Colleagues were fanning her with newspapers and others were splashing water on her face, but her eyes remained closed.

"We are trying to wake up the health authorities," said Convenor, Health Services Trade Union Alliance (HSTUA),  Saman Ratnapriya from a small tent nearby. It was packed with first aid equipment and files.

 "We have tried hard to rectify the anomalies in our salaries. We have waited for seven months without a solution. The Prime Minister must step in and give us an immediate solution otherwise our colleagues die. And if our colleagues will die then we are not responsible for what will happen in the hospitals countrywide," cautioned Ratnapriya. 

HSTUA has been agititating on the salary anomaly issue since July and the health services have been continously plagued with strikes, work to rule campaigns, walk outs and hunger strikes.  Among those employees in this alliance include nurses, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, clerks, drivers, telephone operators.

Ratnapriya warned that they have not yet resorted to strike action in hospitals islandwide but will take a decision soon if the government does not respond to their demands. "As it is the hospital services that are being crippled and by Monday we may have to resort to strike action in hospitals islandwide," he said.

When asked whether the armed forces will have to run the hospitals again, Ratnapriya said "That will be a disaster."

Meanwhile, Health Minister P. Dayaratne said that the salary issue of the health workers had been rectified. He said that arrears would be paid in three stages with 50% being paid this year and the rest to be paid in instalments of 25% each in the years 2005 and 2006. "In addition to this, they would also receive an increment of 10% after this year's budget which was an increase given to all government servants.

"We have looked at the HSTUA demand favourably," he pointed out.

The Minister also said  "We have made a reasonable increase. But we cannot go beyond what is recommended by the Treasury.

Meanwhile, joint Convenor, HSTUA,  Ravi Kumudesh said that they reject the Minister's formula. "We have written to the Prime Minister on January 26 requesting his intervention on their behalf."

Meanwhile in the transport sector, 400,000 men and women were left gazing at the railtracks as over 17,000 railway employees clashed with the Railways Authority causing pandemonium  islandwide.

The strike has severely affected  postal deliveries as mail bags that were brought to the railway stations remain uncleared.

Gates locked

The Colombo-Fort Railway Station which is a hive of activity every day of the week, remained closed Friday too. Employees blocked the gates not letting anyone enter. A train stood stationery and policemen guarded the station. The windows at all the counters remained locked. The clock too had stopped ticking, but  from time to time passengers walked in looking expectantly. They were pushed aside and the iron gate shut in their faces. 

"This is unbearable," said train traveller Wattalagedera. "There is no way in which I can get to office. There are thousands like me. I boarded the train at 8.30 a.m. and was in my office by 8.50, but these days I have been languishing on the road.  I am eager to rush back home to my baby, but I cannot do so now," she said.

"We do not want this 'elders home' to run the Railway Department," pointed out K. A. D. P. Kuruppu of the  Organisation for the Protection of the Properties and Rights of Railway Employees from the office in Railway Lane, Maradana.

Sumathipala Manawadu, W. H. Silva, M. A. Ratnasiri and Bandula Vitanachchi of the organisation were representing the employeees of the Railway Department.

The group said that a few 'elders' have come and taken over the railways. "Why have these retired people been brought back? What is this railway authoritiy? They are having problems among themselves even when taking day to day decisions. How will they run the railways?" they asked.

These striking union leaders insisted that the Railway Authority Act be repealed.  "From 1970 onwards the government reduced the monetary benefit to the Railways Department. The budget allocation became less and less every year. Yet, we maintained the tracks, the signals, the security, the transport. We paid salaries to those who worked day and night and on holidays. This is a system that has been in existence since the colonial days...." they explained.

"What we are asking today is not for any monetary benefits.We are asking that the Railway Authority Act be repealed with immediate effect. And if this is done, the trains will begin to move the very next day," said these members of the Organisation for Protection of the Properties and the Rights of the Railway Employees.

From health to railways, the strikes continue threatening to knock down the common man senseless.

While the railway employees insist that their strike is not about money, the stage set in Narahenpita is for a hunger strike that is all about money.

Men and women are on a hunger strike protesting against the compensation formula of January 1 which offers a 30 month salary payment to private sector employees who are relieved from private sector employment. "We are not happy with this formula and ask the authorities to change their stance," said striking members.

"This is a 33 year old Act and it was amended in parliament last year and on January 1 this compensation formula came into being," pointed out a spokesman from the Labour Department who did not wish to be identified.

Authorities insist that this formula is far superior to those regional compensation packages offered in India and Bangladesh.

All employees who come under the Termination of Employment Workmens' Act (TEWA) are said to be affected by this formula. Striking members say that it limits their compensation.

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