July 13, Colombo (LNW): Trade unions representing employees of the Department of Wildlife Conservation launched islandwide industrial action today (13), with members reporting sick leave in protest against plans to absorb personnel from the Civil Security Department into the Wildlife Department.
The trade union action is expected to affect routine operations, while a large-scale demonstration has been organised outside the Department’s headquarters in Battaramulla to highlight the officers’ concerns over the proposed recruitment process.
Addressing the media, President of the All-Ceylon Wildlife Officers’ Association, Indika Peiris, alleged that the Department’s Director General was acting unilaterally and pursuing the recruitment exercise without adequately consulting existing staff.
“We are not against the recruitments themselves, but the process is flawed. We requested discussions, yet the Director General ignored us and is proceeding in the wrong way. This harms not only field assistants and secondary-level officers, but also rangers, site assistants, and guards across the department,” Peiris said.
He further claimed that repeated requests for discussions ahead of July 13 had gone unanswered, leaving trade unions with no alternative but to resort to industrial action in an effort to have their concerns addressed.
Responding to the allegations, Wildlife Director General Ranjan Marasinghe reportedly said that discussions had already been held with employee representatives regarding the issues raised. He also noted that the Ministry of Environment has appointed a committee to examine the proposed integration of Civil Security Department personnel into the Wildlife Department, with any future decisions to be based on the committee’s recommendations.