The strike by non-academic employees of the universities has now reached its 50th day, significantly impacting all educational activities. The strike, initiated over salary disputes, has led to a complete halt in academic operations across the institutions.
As part of their ongoing protest, the employees launched a “Sathyagraha” campaign yesterday (19th), constructing makeshift roofs in front of 17 universities island-wide. The universities involved include Sri Jayawardanapura, Colombo, Fine Arts, Sri Lanka Open University, Kelaniya, Ruhunu, Sabaragamuwa, Rajarata, Wayamba, Uva Wellassa, Yakkala Ayurveda, Eastern, South Eastern, Vavuniya, and Jaffna.
Dhammika S. Priyantha, the chairman of the committee, stated that the authorities have been given about a week to address their salary issues satisfactorily. Should the authorities fail to provide a solution within this timeframe, the “Sathyagraha” campaign will be escalated to Colombo, Mr. Priyantha warned.
Despite the ongoing protests, Mr. Priyantha noted that there have been positive responses from the Ministry of Finance and the University Grants Commission. He emphasized that the strike will end once they receive a written commitment to resolve the salary issues. The president of the University Trade Union Joint Committee, Dhammika S.Priyantha highlighted the importance of receiving this confirmation in writing to assure the non-academic staff and resume normal activities.