Principals & teachers on strike today

Principals and teachers of state schools across the island will engage in a sick note campaign today based on several demands.

Chief Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Services Union Mahinda Jayasinghe requested parents to remain cautious as around 250,000 teachers and principals will engage in trade union action.

He said the demands include removing salary anomalies, increasing salaries, increasing the allocation for education to 6% of the GDP and refraining from obtaining funds from parents for maintenance at schools.

Among the demands was also a call to allow teachers appointed after the 1st of January 2006 to be granted pension schemes that were suspended and for teachers to be granted the freedom to do their job.

Mahinda Jayasinghe noted 250,000 teachers across the country are prepared to apply for sick leave and engage in trade union action.

He added students might face difficulties as a result and we request parents to be cautious.