The previously announced islandwide private bus strike set for December 1 will go ahead as planned despite the rift within the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ Federation (ACPBOF), General Secretary of the Union, Anjana Priyanjith said.
Priyanjith said, the sudden and arbitrary decision made by the President of the Federation Stanley Fernando to remove him from the posts of General Secretary and Media Spokesman is politically motivated. ¨He has been influenced by certain individuals to suppress our strike action¨ he said adding that however, he currently has the support of all members of the union as well as the executive board.
¨Fernando cannot remove me from my positions without calling for a vote within the union¨ Priyanjith said adding that therefore the decision cannot be enforced and he will continue to function as the General Secretary of the ACPBOF.
Earlier this week the ACPBOF announced a continuous and joint strike in protest against the revised traffic fines. However, on Friday, Fernando announced that Priyanjith has been removed from all posts held with immediate effect due to various indiscretions, casting doubt if the announced strike will in fact go ahead. ¨Despite the current dispute the strike will go ahead as planned if the proposed revision of traffic fines is not revoked¨ Priyanjith claimed. According to Anjana while wrongdoers must be punished accordingly a fine of Rs. 25,000 cannot be borne by an average bus driver.