by Saman Indrajith
University non-academic staff members will stage a token strike on Thursday (17) in protest against government delays providing in solutions to their grievances.

"Our problems and grievances are always met with no concern by top level authorities including the Ministry. Whenever we plan to resort to trade union action we are invited for a discussion but nothing materialises, President of the Inter University Trade Union Federation, (IUTUF) Lionel Malwatte told "The Island" yesterday.

The decision to strike was taken by the Executive Committee on Sunday (06), he said.

The IUTUF had earlier planned to strike this week but its representatives were given a discussion with the Tertiary Education and Training Minister Kabir Hashim last Wednesday (02) where it was decided to appoint several committees to look into the grievances and demands, Malwatte said.

"Appointing committees to study our seven-year-old problems cannot be a remedy. We do not see the authorities as being genuinely interested in solving our problems".

According to the circular nos. 703, 717, 724, 750, and 755 issued by the University Grants Commission it had been stated that the existing salary anomalies of the university academic, executive and non-academic staffers must be rectified in accordance with the recommendations of the 1997 B. C. Perera Salary Commission.

"In the case of academic and executive staff members’ salary anomalies, two other circulars 770 and 774 were issued and their problem was rectified. But no action has been taken to solve our problem, he said.

The Backlog Clearance allowance paid to the non-academic staffers had been reduced. During the past six years no increments had been made while other government servants’ salaries were increased to meet the rising cost of living," he explained.

A press communique issued by the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Training on Monday (06) said that steps had been taken by the Minister Hashim to solve the seven-year-old problems and grievances of the university non-academic staff members. It said that at Minister Hashim’s meeting with the representatives of the Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya and IUTUF representatives held Wednesday (02) a number of problems and demands raised by the IUTUF were resolved. In the case of demands pertaining to salary anomalies and other salary related issues, the Minister directed the Treasury and relevant government agencies to act fast to take necessary action.