Teachers vow to continue protest

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 July 1999, 19:14 GMT]
The seven teaching unions decided to continue their picketing campaignuntilall teachers and principals in North east province are paid risk allowanceand salary arrears if full.

They also resolved to boycott G.C.E. (A/L) examinations scheduled to

commenced on August 2 if authorities failed to accede to their demands

before July 30.

The governor of the Northeast province, Major General Asoka Jeyawardene,

used part of a special treasury grant of Rs.150 million to pay the risk

allowance and salary arrears of Sinhala teachers in the Amparai zone in

full. The remainder of the grant was to be shared amongst the Muslim and

Tamil teachers in the rest of the province, who would also be paid in

instalments rather than receive a lump sum payment as the Amparai zone

teachers did.

The trade unions resolved to continue their action at the end of the second

day

of picketing in front of the offices of the Provincial Ministry of

Education in Trincomalee.

A large number of Sinhala teachers and five Buddhist monks joined the Tamil

and Muslim teachers who were picketing today.

All Tamil and Sinhala medium schools in Trincomalee town were

closed today.