Govt. won’t be able to pay salaries health workers are demanding through strikes – Minister

Chief Government Whip and Health and Mass Media Minister, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, told Parliament yesterday that the government would never be able to pay the salaries that health workers receive in the UK and Australia because the country simply did not have the funds to do so.

“If anyone hopes to receive salaries similar to those paid in the UK and Australia here, we must remind them of the reality that there are no funds for that,” Dr. Jayatissa said, making a special statement on the token strike action by healthcare professionals.

Dr. Jayatissa emphasised that strikes in the healthcare sector, which endangered patients’ lives, were unacceptable.

He acknowledged the need for fair wage increases but stressed that holding patients’ lives hostage during such strikes was condemnable.

Dr. Jayatissa also stated that despite the government’s efforts to increase basic salaries of healthcare professionals, certain groups had chosen to strike, causing significant disruption to medical services.

Dr Jayatissa said that the Ministry of Finance had arranged for a meeting with the striking groups on 17 March to discuss their concerns. However, the groups announced their strike immediately after the meeting.

The minister said: “As a government, we have given a basic salary increase for the Professions Supplementary to Medicine, and the Interim Medical Services. We have added Rs. 22,000 to the basic salary of Rs. 32,000. For a person with a basic salary of Rs. 37,190 we have added Rs. 26,120. For a person with a basic salary of Rs. 44,520, we have added Rs. 32,010-. For a person with a basic salary of Rs. 54, 590, we have added Rs. 43,320/-.”

Dr Jayatissa said that it was the taxpayers who funded those salary hikes. “It is unfair for senior citizens and other patients to be turned away from hospitals due to the strike.”

“The President is ready to make time to meet and discuss the real issues of the strikers. Instead, they are holding patients to ransom. We have given them a meeting on Wednesday (19) as well. We are ready for talks,” he said.

By Saman Indrajith