Sri Lanka Marxist trade unions to decide on action to demand salary increments next week

Sri Lanka's Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) affiliated National Trade Union Center (NTUC) is to meet next week to decide on the trade union action to be resorted to in order to demand for relief for public, private and estate sector employees.



The NTUC headed by JVP politburo member K.D. Lalkantha is to meet with over 300 trade unions affiliated to the Center next week to discuss the current situation.
Lalkantha told ColomboPage that the trade unions had to meet and discuss the action to be taken. "Given the current increase in the cost of living, the Rs. 2,500 salary increment promised by the government is not sufficient," he said.
He added that the Rs. 2,500 salary increment was promised by the government and it was not the amount requested by the trade unions.

"With the current increase in prices and the statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department, the government has to look at a Rs. 8,000 salary increment," Lalkantha said.

The government has said that it will resolve the salary issue in the 2011 budget proposals to be presented in November this year.