Over recruitment of graduates with political clout
By Azra Ameen
Employees of the Sri Lanka Postal Department have threatened an all island strike after 25 September, if the demands put forward by the employees over streamlining graduate recruitment, are not met.
President, Ceylon Postal Union (CPU), Jayantha Wijesinghe, said the union had been urging the government to streamline the process of recruiting graduates to fill the vacancies at the Postal Department.
The Ministry of Postal Services has decided to recruit 764 graduates to the postal service, which currently has more than 1000 vacancies. The Union alleged the recruitment at present is highly politicized.
“If the minister does not find an answer to the problems we will be forced to take trade union action,” he warned, adding that the Union was not objecting to recruiting of graduates, but asking the ministry to streamline the recruitment process, as the present recruitment process is not correct.
“Officers in charge of recruiting the graduates should do it in a proper manner. They should have a mechanism to choose suitable persons without taking in those who have political affiliations,” he said.
Wijesinghe said they had planned to initiate trade union action last week, but had suspended the action temporarily due to the request of Minister of Postal Services, Jeevan Kumaratunga.
