Nursing officers in government hospitals are gearing up for another strike, accusing the Health Minister of failing to uphold his promise to address critical issues such as cuts in overtime pay, holiday allowances, and delays in promotions through this year’s budget.
As an initial step, a protest petition was signed in hospitals nationwide yesterday (11th).
Saman Ratnapriya, President of the Government Nursing Officers’ Association, stated that the Health Minister had assured the reinstatement of withheld promotions under the previous system and pledged to resolve the issue through discussions with the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance. However, these commitments have not been fulfilled. As a result, he warned that nurses across the country will be compelled to launch a strike as the next course of action.
This dispute has already sparked widespread protests, with nursing officers staging demonstrations in hospitals across the island on February 27th.
Furthermore, due to the lack of concrete solutions, a three-hour strike and protest campaign had been announced for the 6th of this month. However, the strike was temporarily suspended following assurances given during discussions with the Health Minister.
