Grama Niladhari officers have called off the trade union action they launched over a set of long-standing demands, following talks on Monday with Minister of Public Administration Professor Chandana Abeyratne and the Ministry Secretary.
Union representatives said President Anura Kumara Dissanayake joined the discussions by telephone and assured them that steps would be taken to address their demands through the upcoming Budget, both Ada Derana and Daily Mirror reported.
The unions decided to end the action following those assurances.
Duties resume
Officers will resume normal duties on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, the unions said — restoring the Saturday work they had withdrawn.
That withdrawal was the sharper phase of the campaign. Officers stopped performing Saturday duties from August 15, with the Sri Lanka Grama Niladhari Union saying they would attend domain offices only on Tuesdays and Thursdays until further notice, and calling on other associations to follow. That step followed a two-day sick-leave campaign on August 10 and 11 that drew no government response.
The demands
The union set out four demands: an increase in travel allowances; making a degree the minimum educational qualification for recruitment; granting the allowances recommended by the “Gammanpila Committee” and approved by the Cabinet; and paying a day’s salary for services rendered on government holidays, including Saturdays.
Neither outlet reported which of the four the government has committed to, nor what form the Budget measures would take. No timetable beyond the Budget was given.
Grama Niladhari officers are the state’s front-line administrative officials at village level, handling residency and character certification, welfare verification and a wide range of routine paperwork, so their withdrawal from duties has an immediate effect on the public.
