The trade unions affiliated with the Paramedical Services Front (PMSF) have launched a token strike demanding an allowance of Rs. 35,000.
The 48-hour strike, joined by the Public Health Inspectors’ Union (PHIU) and several other trade unions, commenced at 8:00 a.m. today (Jan.10).
In a press release issued on Tuesday (Jan.09), PMSF’s president Upul Rohana said they welcome the Cabinet decision to increase the doctors’ Disturbance, Availability and Transport (DAT) allowance by Rs. 35,000.
However, he took issue with the government’s failure to include the professionals in paramedical services when serving ‘economic justice’ to health professionals.
The professionals in paramedical services have vowed to resort to a continuous strike if the government fails to address the issue.
Despite the ongoing token strike, functions of children’s hospitals, cancer hospitals, maternity hospitals, nephrology hospitals, the National Blood Centre and the National Institute of Mental Health will remain uninterrupted.
The professionals in Supplementary Medical Service also engaged in a 24-hour token strike on Tuesday in protest of the government’s move to not grant the DAT allowance to them.
On Monday (Jan.08), the Cabinet of Ministers gave the nod to President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal to double the DAT allowance paid to government doctors, raising it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000.
