The Health Trade Union Alliance (HTUA) last Wednesday announced that it would call an indefinite strike from today. However, after discussion with health and finance ministry officials, HTUA leaders called off the strike.
The trade union bureaucracy are fearful that the rising working-class opposition to Colombo’s austerity policies will rekindle the mass anti-government movement that ousted President Rajapakse and his regime in 2022.
Over 65,000 Sri Lankan health workers, including nurses, paramedic services, public health inspectors, medical laboratory technologists and pharmacists, began an indefinite strike over wages, allowances and working conditions on Monday.