News
Union member reinstated; railway strike called off
The Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Union again called off their trade union action yesterday after the Railway Department reinstated a senior union member. Earlier in the day the union recommenced the strike over the suspension of their colleague. Train services, which resumed after the union called off thier strike on Thursday midnight, came to a standstill again after the announcement.
The Railway Department said it was contemplating legal action against the unannounced token strike launched by the Station Masters Association. It had caused severe inconvenience to the commuters, the Department said.
Chairman of the union Sumedha Somarathna said that they had launched their strike to address a number of issues that affected the railway system and the safety of the passengers.
“We have asked the government to solve the problems related to the transfers, recruitment and promotion of Station Masters. The Department has also failed to address some serious issues involving signal systems and the rolling stock,” he said.
In recent weeks a number of long distance trains had been cancelled a few hours before their scheduled departure time. By that time seats had been reserved and angry commuters had taken it out on the station masters, Somarathna said.
“The Secretary to the Ministry called us and assured that they would address these concerns. So, we stopped our trade union but if the government does not address these issues soon, we will not hesitate to resume our strike.”
The Colombo Stock Exchange (GL 12) has contributed LKR 25 million to the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Fund.
The cheque was handed over to the Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake by the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeyesekera, the Chief Executive Officer Rajeeva Bandaranaike and Senior Vice Chairman Kusal Nissanka at the Presidential Secretariat.
News
Karu argues against scrapping MPs’ pension as many less fortunate members entered Parliament after ’56
Former Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake expressing concerns over the proposed abolition of MPs’ pensions.The letter was sent in his capacity as Patron of the Former Parliamentarians’ Caucus.
In his letter, Jayasuriya noted that at the time of Sri Lanka’s independence, political participation was largely limited to an educated, affluent land-owning elite. However, he said a significant social transformation took place after 1956, enabling ordinary citizens to enter politics.
He warned that under current conditions, removing parliamentary pensions would effectively confine politics to the wealthy, business interests, individuals engaged in illicit income-generating activities, and well-funded political parties. Such a move, he said, would discourage honest social workers and individuals of modest means from entering public life.
Jayasuriya also pointed out that while a small number of former MPs, including himself, use their pensions for social and charitable purposes, the majority rely on the pension as a primary source of income.
He urged the President to give due consideration to the matter and take appropriate action, particularly as the government prepares to draft a new constitution.The Bill seeking to abolish pensions for Members of Parliament was presented to Parliament on 07 January by Minister of Justice and National Integration Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.
Five suspects, including former Minister Johnston Fernando and his two sons, who were arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), were further remanded until 30 January by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.
The former Minister’s , sons Johan Fernando and Jerome Kenneth Fernando, and two others, were arrested in connection with the alleged misuse of a Sathosa vehicle during Fernando’s tenure as Minister.
Investigations are currently underway into the alleged misuse of state property, including a lorry belonging to Lanka Sathosa, which reportedly caused a significant financial loss to the state.
In connection with the same incident, Indika Ratnamalala, who served as the Transport Manager of Sathosa during
Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade, was arrested on 04 January.
After being produced before the Wattala Magistrate’s Court, he was ordered to be remanded in custody until 09 January.The former Sathosa Transport Manager was remanded on charges of falsifying documents.
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