President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued an Extraordinary Gazette notification this evening (Nov. 08) declaring the postal service as an essential public service.

The Gazette has been issued by virtue of the powers vested in the President in terms of Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979.

Accordingly, the postal service has been declared to be an essential public service considering it necessary that the services provided by any Public Corporation or Government Department or Local Authority or Co-operative Society or any branch thereof being a Department or Corporation or Local Authority or Cooperative Society, which is engaged in the provision of the postal service, is essential to the life of the community and is likely to be impeded or interrupted, the gazette states.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena revealed this afternoon that he requested the President to declare postal services as an essential service.

The United Postal Trade Unions’ Front launched a two-day token strike this morning against the government’s alleged attempts to sell the postal department’s resources.

The postal workers had decided yesterday (07) to resort to the 48-hour token strike, protesting against the government’s decision to sell the postal offices in Kandy and Nuwara-Eliya.

However, the Department of Posts stated yesterday that steps have been taken to cancel the leave of all postal employees with immediate effect within the three days of November 8, 9 and 10.

Nevertheless, they had launched the strike as planned, despite the department’s decision to cancel the leave.

Co-convener of United Postal Trade Unions’ Front, Chinthaka Bandara had said the postal workers stand ready to launch a continuous strike if the government fails to resolve this issue.