Sri Lankan Health Workers Strike for Equal Allowance

COLOMBO (News 1st); Members of 72 health trade unions in Sri Lanka launched a continuous strike action at 6.30 AM today, demanding an allowance of 35,000 rupees. This follows failed negotiations with the Ministry of Finance on Monday.

The strike is in response to the government's recent decision to offer the allowance only to doctors, excluding other healthcare professionals. 

Dissatisfied with this selective approach, the unions have previously staged symbolic strikes. 

Authorities had promised to address their concerns, leading to yesterday's discussion with finance ministry officials and health professionals' societies.

However, the talks yielded no resolution, prompting the current strike action. 

In response to the strike's potential impact on healthcare services, Health Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana acknowledged the possibility of deploying military personnel to maintain essential services. However, he said that no concrete decision has been made yet.