January 11, Colombo (LNW): Health sector trade unions, including hospital administration and junior health staff, are set to initiate a joint strike action starting from 6:00 a.m. this (11) morning, demanding an allowance increase of Rs 35,000.
The token strike opposes the government’s decision to increase the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance only for doctors.
Simultaneously, the Paramedical Services Front (PMSF) unions commenced a 48-hour strike on January 10, joined by several other unions, protesting the government’s failure to grant the allowance increase to them.
Despite the strikes, key hospital functions remained unaffected.
The Government Nursing Officers’ Association initiated a 24-hour strike, staging a protest in Colombo.
Professionals in paramedical services have warned about continuous strikes if the issue remains unaddressed.
The Cabinet approved doubling the DAT allowance for government doctors from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000 on January 8.
