Parliament employees protest against external recruitment

• Vacancies have been filled by offering promotions to existing employees over the years

By Sujith Hewajulige

Employees of Parliament are up in arms over the decision by the authorities to fill the existing vacancies with those from outside, sources said yesterday.“Vacancies have been filled by offering promotions to existing employees over the years, but the authorities have decided to move away from this practice and recruit persons from outside. The existing staff members are of the opinion that the new system will be unfair as they are losing opportunities to obtain promotions.

The new move is to recruit from the public service.

Meanwhile, the government has decided to do away with the off-day allowance due to various constraints. This allowance has been paid to Parliament staff for many years.