The Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa – Minister of Health and Mass Media

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, I expected Opposition Members to raise the postal strike even under SO 27(2), but none did. As I said when the strike began, there will be temporary public inconvenience and private couriers may increase prices to profit. To resolve this, we must endure a few days while we fix issues at the Central Mail Exchange.

¶ 02 As I answered, we are regularizing 1,000 substitutes and recruiting another 1,000; further recruitments are proceeding with Cabinet Committee approval. We are purchasing 250 vehicles, building new post offices, and allocating about Rs. 600 million for renovations. We are modernizing the postal system. Despite these, some unions—affiliated to various political parties—have halted work. The two main sticking points are overtime (OT) rates and use of fingerprint machines. The Government has already increased OT significantly. For example, for a Class II postal officer, the hourly OT rose from Rs. 1,680 to Rs. 2,370; for a more senior in Class II, from Rs. 2,570 to Rs. 3,700; for a Class I officer, from Rs. 2,260 to Rs. 3,240; and for a senior Class I officer, from Rs. 3,030 to Rs. 4,390. With such increases, accountability is essential; hence fingerprint verification at the Central Mail Exchange. We cannot accede to demands beyond fiscal capacity. Last year alone, Treasury support to the Department was Rs. 4 billion; without reform, that gap could rise to Rs. 7–8 billion. About 70% of own-revenue goes to pay and OT. We must fix this sustainably; resolving now will allow the Post to improve, and courier opportunism will subside.