September 17, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka’s railway network continued to run its office-hour services without major disruption today, despite a 48-hour trade union strike that began at midnight on 16 September.
Railway unions launched the industrial action over several demands, with the removal of the current General Manager of Railways among their key concerns.
Sumedha Somarathna, Chairman of the Railway Station Masters’ Association, said a number of services had already been cancelled yesterday, before the strike officially commenced, leaving commuters facing delays and uncertainty.
He claimed railway management and senior officials were now making efforts to keep services running, but argued that there was no clear plan to boost the department’s income or address shortcomings in passenger facilities.
According to Somarathna, most station masters have taken part in the strike. He also alleged that some station masters considered supportive of the Government were working to weaken the industrial action and ensure that the present General Manager remained in office.
He maintained that the dispute was not driven by political considerations, but was instead intended to press for reforms and improvements within the railway department.
