The All Island Expressways Union has launched a one-day token strike based on three key demands.
President of the All Island Expressways Union Yohan Hasitha Munasinghe said that nearly 11,000 employees have withdrawn from duties today (Nov 22).
He further said the token strike will take place from 07.00 am to 07.00 pm today, adding that the employees have reported sick and have refrained from reporting to work.
“Our key demand is that our highway network is currently under the care of the Road Development Authority. In June 2023, a Cabinet paper proposed to establish a company under the Ministry of Finance and take over this highway network under that company. Also, the proposal mentions operating the highways as a business under a public-private partnership, for which they are also looking for potential investors. This has created fear about our job security,” Yohan Hasitha Munasinghe explained.
Meanwhile, the Road Development Authority (RDA) confirmed that the All Island Expressways Union has withdrawn from ticketing duties from all expressways.
The RDA further said that the Army and Police have been deployed at the expressways for security reasons.
It is reported that expressway tickets were not issued to the public in the morning allowing them to travel free of charge.
However, in some areas, the security forces have collected money but have not issued expressway tickets. (NewsWire)