The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) have jointly planned to bring the country to a  standstill this week as a result of the government's failure to grant the employees their due salary increments, the Joint Trade Union Alliance (JTUA) told The Sunday Leader.

The government's failure to grant the employees of the three institutions their salary increments has led to unrest among employees and according to the JTUA they would decide the date for the proposed strike tomorrow (20).

"Unlike other organisations, the CPC, CEB and the SLPA get their increments once in three years. Although we were to get a raise in 2009, President Rajapakse postponed the payment of salary increments to 2010, which is unreasonable. At a time when the entire cabinet enjoys salary increases and all other perks, the government does not want to give the hard working people their salary increments," JTUA Committee Member Ananda Palitha told The Sunday Leader.

According to Palitha although Petroleum Resources Minister A.H.M. Fowzie had agreed to grant salary increments to the CPC from its own resources, President Rajapakse has rejected the request. The CEB and SLPA salary increments too have not been granted and unless employees of these three institutions are granted their salary increments by noon tomorrow (20), the JTUA would decide on a date for a joint trade union action to bring the entire country to a standstill.