February 01, Colombo (LNW): A total of 72 trade unions within the health sector initiated an island-wide one-day strike at 6:30 a.m. today (01), urging the government to promptly address their concerns, the National Movement of Health Professionals said.
While doctors’ unions and the All Ceylon Nurses’ Union opted not to participate, citing the strike as a government conspiracy, they emphasised that their demands had been communicated to the authorities.
The unions gave the relevant bodies a one-month window to respond to their requests and warned of further trade union action if their concerns were not addressed.
The strike is rooted in the government’s decision, approved on January 8, to double the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance for government doctors.
The move sparked protests from various health sector professionals, leading to multiple strikes.
On January 23, the government temporarily reduced the DAT allowance for doctors, citing budget constraints.
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) had initially declared an indefinite strike starting January 24 but later withdrew the action when the decision to cut the DAT allowance was reversed.
