Health trade unions and Finance Ministry reps to meet today

The health sector trade unionists and Finance Ministry representatives are slated to meet later today (Feb.06) do discuss the concerns of the health workers regarding allowances.

Health Trade Union Alliance’s convenor Ravi Kumudesh said the meeting is scheduled to start at noon under the instructions of President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The trade unions representing a wide range of health sector professionals, including radiology and laboratory technicians, pharmacists and drug compounders, midwives, dental surgeons, public health inspectors, and entomology officers have engaged in strikes on multiple occasions demanding an allowance hike for them.

On January 08, the Cabinet of Ministers approved President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to double the DAT allowance paid to government doctors, raising it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000. This compelled the other health workers to resort to trade union actions.

Later, on January 23, the government decided to temporarily half the payment of DAT allowance for doctors citing insufficient funds. Director General of Health Services Dr. Asela Gunawardena stated that although the necessary arrangements were made for the payment of the said allowance, the Treasury had not provided funds within the approved allocation limit.

In response, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) announced the launch of an indefinite strike action starting January 24, but it was later called off the planned trade union action, after the decision to suspend the DAT allowance payments was rolled back.