Nov 14, Colombo: A joint alliance comprising several trade unions of school teachers and principals in Sri Lanka warns that they would launch a strike and shut down schools island wide from December 4th if the authorities fail to address their demands.

Sri Lanka United Teachers' Union (SLUTU) Convener Ven. Yalwela Pangasekara Thero addressing a join trade union convention has said the unions did not have any faith in the government to resolve their issues.

The teachers and principals claim that the Education Ministry has failed to rectify salary anomalies, grant salary increments and fulfill transfers and promotions.

The government has not allocated funds from the next year budget to pay salary arrears, the unions complained.

Ven. Pangasekara Thero has said that every word uttered by the Education Minister is a lie.

He has added that the trade unions would go ahead with a strike action from December 4th if the authorities fail to address their demands.

Ceylon Teachers Union secretary Joseph Stalin said 22,500 principals and teachers at 9,662 schools would resort to the union action. The CTU chairman said they could not trust the Education Minister, with whom the trade unions would hold talks on November 16.

Several teachers' and principals' unions including the Ceylon Teachers' Service Union (CTSU), Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU), Independent Teachers' Union (ITU), All Ceylon Principals' Union (ACPU), and Sri Lanka National Principals' Union (SLNPU) have pledged their support for the strike.