President Ranil Wickramasinghe said that the government will not make decisions based on the strike of the employees of a corporation or a university except according to the existing rules.
The President also said that it is regrettable that the University Teachers’ Association has been reduced to the level of a trade union.
The President said that the University Teachers’ Association is calling for the removal of the Vice-Chancellor of Ruhunu University and that the trade unions are calling for the removal of a general manager of a state corporation.
President Ranil Wickramasinghe said this while attending the “Centre on State Policy and Constitution” establishment at the Sri Lanka Technical University Research Institute held in Trace City, Colombo, today (15).
Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe, who further commented,
“The trade unions are saying to remove the General Manager of one of our corporations and the FUTA says remove the Vice Chancellor of the university. Has FUTA come to that level where like the guys who want the General Manager removed? That’s the only question I have to ask.
Removal of the General Manager is a matter for the government. Just, because there is a strike we will not remove him. There’s a procedure that has to be followed if they think there are any shortcomings by him of serious nature. As far as vice chancellors are concerned also, there has to be a procedure.
Without procedures, just because people go on strike whether it’s in a corporation or in a university, this government will not change. We will follow the rules and we’ll act accordingly because, if I go into this now, next time they want to remove the deans and next time the heads of department. And then we will be told that you can’t appoint a professor without our consent.
I think we have to seriously look at what is going to happen in the universities. The country has a right to know what is happening. We are paying money to educate our people. So we want the universities function properly. And I am sad that this is taking place in Ruhuna.”
Sri Lanka Technical University President Ranjith G. Mr. Rubasinghe also presented a commemorative gift to the President.