Source: The Island
Customs unions suspended their union action on Tuesday (19) night following a discussion with Finance Ministry officials and resumed clearing containers on Wednesday.
About 5,000 containers had been stuck at the Colombo Port by 20 March due to the trade union action, Manjula said.
Seevali Arukgoda, Deputy Superintendent of Customs said they were taking steps to clear the containers as soon as possible. They would extend the working hours and deploy extra officials, he said.
Customs unions withdrew from overtime duty last Friday after the government decided to take over a fund which was previously under the purview of the Director General of Customs. It is used to pay rewards for officials who make detections of illegal goods.
Vice President of the Sri Lanka Customs Officers’ Association, Geethanjana Madapatha said they would recommence their union action on 31 March if the government did not find a solution to their concerns.
