Split among postal strikers

Secretary of the Postal Trade Unions Alliance, H.K. Kariyawasam yesterday claimed their 48-hour strike had crippled the postal department.

The dispatch of parcels and letters to and from the Central Mail Exchange had come to a standstill, Kariyawasam said, adding that the strike would continue till midnight today and if the government failed to respond to their demands, the association would go for an indefinite strike.

Convener of the Alliance Chinthaka Bandara, however, said the postal services had not been disrupted by the strike launched by the Posts and Telecommunications Officers Association.

Bandara claimed that none of the trade unions affiliated to the Postal Trade Union Alliance had joined the strike and it was a total failure. He added that the association he represented was planning to have an indefinite strike from June 14 midnight.