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Varsity non-academic staff end strike after winning demands
View(s):By Chrishanthi Christopher
The strike launched by 13,000 non-academic staff paralysing activities of 15 universities in the country has ended with the Government agreeing to accede to several of their demands. The Sri Lanka University Trade Union Joint Committee (SLUTUJC) said since the Government had agreed to meet the demands the staff resumed work.
SLUTUJC Joint Secretary Dhammika Priyantha said in the discussion SLUTUJC had with Deputy Minister Mohan Lal Grero and the University Grants Commission (UGC) it was agreed that the non-academic staff be paid a 100% monthly compensatory allowance. An additional Rs. 100 million is to be allocated in the 2017 Budget increasing the total allowance to Rs.460 million.
In addition the provident fund of the non-academic staff would be brought under the umbrella of the university staff provident fund back dating the payments to January 1, 2016.
Other demands agreed to include, having a proper increment system in the salary structure together with an insurance and pension scheme that extends the retirement age by three years. Meanwhile, the academic staff of universities also held talks with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe last week. The Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) President, Prof. Rangitha Halwathura said their demands for the Rs.2, 500 increment promised in the 2016 Budget and the discrepancy in granting vehicle permits to academic staff have been resolved.
Prof. Halwathura said also discussed with the PM were problems relating to professional development. Among them he said the 6% GDP allocated in the Budget and how it is being misused by the administration was also examined.
The UGC has also been confronted with the ‘unprofessional and detrimental’ circulars issued to the university academic staff. Prof. Halwathura charged that the UGC instead of encouraging academics by recruiting and retaining them is driving them away by giving them step motherly treatment. He said many privileges enjoyed by academics have been scaled down and are being given to the non-academic staff.
This he said is bad as academics have made several sacrifices in order to remain in the country to teach in the local universities. “We are foregoing many opportunities to work in overseas universities. We have even given up our postgraduate studies to be here,” he said.