It is a five working days a week for the public servants in Sri Lanka. It is also a five working days a week for the Railway Department except for the transportation sector i.e. staff attached to railway stations; railway locomotive drivers and assistants; Railway Guards. Why is this anomaly?

The staff attached to the buildings sector and the way and works sector are entitled for five working days a week. It appears that the staff attached to the buildings sector and the way and workers sector work on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays — incurring heavy expenditure to the department in the payment of over-time, holiday pay and batta. Why are they not working on normal working days?

It is no exaggeration, if I say, that a railway labourer is drawing a monthly salary of over Rs. 18,000, for no work done. The railway yards are over grown with shrubs and grass. Whose fiasco is this?

I hope that the above facts will receive the kind attention of the Minister of Transport and the General Manager Railways.

Retired Chief Station Master