The Railway Drivers’ Union began an islandwide strike yesterday protesting the suspension of four employees of the Railway Department last week following an accident in Ganemulla.
The engine driver, his assistant, head guard and his assistant were suspended following the accident in which a Kandy bound intercity train crashed into the back of the Colombo Fort–Polgahawela train near the Ganemulla railway station on September 28 killing one person and injuring twenty-nine commuters.
Locomotive Operating Engineers’ Union secretary Mahinda Karunaratne said the four employees were unfairly suspended due to what he called a technical fault in the railway signals system.
“The department said the employees ignored the signals and went ahead, but the truth is by the time they left the previous station they had been signalled to go ahead. When the driver saw the other train he immediately braked but it was too late,” said Mr. Karunaratne.
He charged that the signals system was not functioning properly. “We demand the department show us a report proving the signal system is without flaws. This system is being used since 1962. It’s very old,” he said.
Mr. Karunaratne said the strike was a success adding that by 12 noon yesterday only 15 train trips had taken place since midnight when the strike started.
However a Railway Department official denied the claims made by Mr. Karunaratne.
“How can they say there’s something wrong with the signals system? We’ve been using it for so long and nothing of this nature has ever happened before. If you look at the history of this particular driver, you’ll see that he has made similar mistakes in the past,” he said. | 
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