The postal workers will call off their 48-hour token strike from midnight today (Nov. 09), the United Postal Trade Unions’ Front says.

The trade union action was launched from midnight on Tuesday (Nov. 07), in protest of the government’s attempts to sell the resources belonging to the Department of Posts.

Shortly after the association’s co-convener Chinthaka Bandara announced the trade union action on Tuesday, the postal department moved to cancel the leave of all postal workers with immediate effect for three days, November 08, 09 and 10.

However, the postal workers went ahead with the strike, urging the government to abandon its plans to sell the Nuwara-Eliya and Kandy post offices.

Issuing an announcement, Postmaster General S. R. W. M. R. P. Sathkumara had clarified that no post office owned by the Department of Posts would be closed, adding that the President’s Secretary was informed of the agreement to hand over the Nuwara-Eliya Post Office building to the Urban Development Authority (UDA) in order to allow for a more effective investment opportunity as per the government’s policy. Minister Bandula Gunawardena has assured that the Urban Development Authority will provide a suitable building in its place to operate the post office, the statement read further.

In this context, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday (Nov. 09) issued a Gazette Extraordinary declaring the postal service an essential public service, following a request made by Minister Gunawardena.