TU action if demands not met-LPBOA

20 June 2011 07:34 am

By Gandhya Senanayake

Bus fares should be increased from a substantial percentage while issues faced due to the inadequacies of the National Transport Policy should be rectified or we will take trade union action on June 27th, the Lanka Private Bus Owners Association President Gemunu Wijeratne told Daily Mirror online  

He added that if a satisfactory answer to their demands is not given before next Monday(27th) they would be forced to take an all island trade union action and take buses off the road.

Mr. Wijeratne further added that if President Mahinda Rajapaksa personally intervened and grants relief to the private bus operators they would postpone their trade union action till August. Moreover he said that they would seek legal intervention from the Supreme Court to obtain their demands.

The private bus operators are faced with many hardships due to the inadequacies of the National Transport policy, such as bus timetable issues, lack of night time buses and overcrowding. These issues affect bus operators as well as passengers and we need these inadequacies rectified as well, Gemunu Wijeratne said. (Daily Mirror online)