President's decision commended

Lakmini RODRIGO

COLOMBO: The courageous decision by President Mahinda Rajapakse to replace the National Council for Administration (NCA) by a new National Salaries Commission should be highly commended, Public Services Trade Union Federation President W.H. Piyadasa told the Daily News.

He said his Union was thankful to the President for the thoughtful move.

He assured that his Union was not planning to carry out any trade union action regarding the matter and that they planned on discussing the matter of the salary anomalies with the new Salaries Commission.

Piyadasa said that the token strike carried out yesterday was pre-planned and that the strikers were not aware of the President's decision to replace the NCA when they had decided to carry it out.

Many Government sector Trade Unions participated in the token strike held yesterday. Nearly 7,000 workers who gathered at the Vihara Maha Devi Park later walked to the Presidential Secretariat where they handed over a petition stating their grievances over the salary circular.

Meanwhile, the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) accepting the President's decision said the GMOA's decision would be announced after an emergency meeting.