The continuous strike launched by the Postal and Telecommunications Officers’ Association together with the Joint Postal Trade Union Front is still ongoing.
The unions commenced the strike yesterday (17) at 4.00 p.m. based on 19 demands. According to the Postal Trade Union Front, the strike—initially launched at the Central Postal Exchange—was extended islandwide from midnight.
As a result, all postal operations across the country will be disrupted today, Joint Postal Trade Union Front Co-convener Chinthaka Bandara confirmed.
Meanwhile, Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara, speaking at a media briefing in Colombo, stated that it is unreasonable to resort to strike action when many of the demands of postal employees have already been addressed.
Commenting on the matter, the Minister in charge of the subject, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, expressed concern about the impact of the strike.
“When employees fail to report for work for an hour, two hours, or even a day, the revenue of the Postal Department decreases. This creates an additional burden on the state treasury. In the future, this will affect salary increases and overtime benefits scheduled to be granted to employees. Therefore, I consider this to be an unjust strike.
“At a time when the Postal Department is actively recruiting staff, providing required vehicles, moving forward with digitalization, and granting salary increases, I urge all employees not to resort to disruptive action. Instead, I request them to understand the situation, return to work, deliver their best service, and help make the department a profitable institution,” the Minister said.
