The Education Ministry yesterday said that since it had not been intimated of any strike action on July 10, by educational trade sector unions, anyone joining the strike will be considered absent without leave.

A Ministry press release the Ministry said it was the usual practice for any union to give it prior notice of a proposed strike. This had not been done so far.

Secretary to the Ministry of Education M. M. N. D. Bandara said all schools will function normally on Thursday as on other days.

Provincial Educational Secretaries, Provincial Educational Directors and through them all heads of schools have been notified accordingly, he said.

Since none of the school principals’ unions had informed the Ministry of any strike action there wouldn’t be a problem in conducting school activities, he said.

The discussions on salary anomalies of teachers and principals are not connected to the proposed July 10 strike, he said. The Ministry requested all in the educational sector to attend to their duties on July 10.

In another statement, the Education Ministry said that teachers and principals on July 1 submitted their proposals on the salary anomalies affecting them to the Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga. A meeting on this was scheduled for Tuesday. Salaries and Cadre Commission, Treasury and Education Ministry representatives were expected to participate in the meeting and a final decision was expected to be announced, it said.