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* Train strike planned from midnight today demanding to fire drunken employee

Wed, Jul 3, 2019, 02:30 pm SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 03, Colombo: More than 85 railway graded unions and political trade unions have decided to go on an indefinite strike from midnight Wednesday (03), the General Secretary of All Ceylon Railway General Employees Union and Coordinator of Railway Trade Union Alliance S P Withanage said.

The strike is being carried out to protest the undue pressure by the Ministry of Transport on the General Manager of the Railways to rehire an employee, who had been suspended for drunkenness during duty.

The unions say the Transport Ministry has failed to sign a letter suspending a shunting driver who was caught drunk while on duty.

According to the unions, the General Manager of the Railways has requested the Ministry Secretary to sign the suspension notice of the said employee several times but the Ministry has not done so yet.

The railways trade unions say they will launch a strike from midnight today if the Ministry did not take a decision before 6.00 pm.

The government has made the Railways an essential service and under emergency regulations, the government can take legal action on strikers disrupting essential services.