Station Masters have decided to withdraw from the transportation of cement, flour, and fuel.
Chairman of the Sri Lanka Railway Station Masters’ Association Sumedha Somaratne speaking at a media briefing today said they withdrew from these services in addition to the ongoing trade union action of not issuing train tickets and accepting and transporting parcels.
Somaratne charged that there is a shortage of junior railway staff with operations being carried out with difficulty.
He added despite numerous requests steps have not been taken to hire new recruits.
He claimed that with the suspension at the Kolonnawa oil terminal the transportation of aircraft fuel to the Bandaranaike International Airport will also be disrupted.
However, Somaratne said responsibility for any losses should be borne by the Railways General Manager due to his arbitrary actions.
Discussions between the Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Station Masters ended in a stalemate this afternoon following which the executive committee convened to reach a decision pertaining to launching an indefinite strike action.
Somaratne said the Railways General Manager failed to provide a positive response to their demands and charged that he didn’t provide an opportunity for them to table facts either.
