Amid more than 3,000 people still taking shelter in safe centres, trade unions, including Grama Niladharis, Disaster Relief Service Officers, and Technical Officers involved in Cyclone Ditwah-related relief efforts, announced yesterday that they are withdrawing from all relief services. The unions cited the government’s failure to establish an effective mechanism for delivering aid.
Upul Kumara, Chairman of the All Island Disaster Relief Services Officials’ Union, told a news conference that even 95 days after the disaster, the government has not implemented a proper system for providing relief to affected communities.
He explained that the Grama Niladhari Trade Unions, responsible for relief distribution, and the Technical Officers’ Trade Union Alliance, tasked with preparing damage assessment reports, had repeatedly discussed the continuation of relief activities and proposed proper mechanisms to the government on multiple occasions.
However, Kumara said, the government and officials have yet to introduce a structured system, despite the passage of more than three months since the cyclone.
He added that officers engaged in relief operations have been handling additional work and had requested extra compensation, which has not yet been approved. After previous discussions with government secretaries failed to yield results, the unions decided to withdraw from relief services effective yesterday.
According to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), 3,401 individuals from 1,150 families remain in 41 safe centres across the country, while 149,927 people from 43,831 families are staying with relatives, friends, or in other temporary accommodations.
