The Organization for Protection of the Properties and the Rights of Railway Employees (OPPRRE) said the railway department was incurring tremendous losses due to mismanagement and corruption going on from within.

OPPRRE Convener, Sumathipala Manawaduwa stated many of the transactions done with private firms were done with no tenders being called and this in turn led to losses. “There are new shipments of engines that need to be brought to the yard and the project was given to the highest bidder not the lowest one,” he said.

He said the seating arrangements handled by the Railway Department were now given to a private firm with only 40 per cent of the profits to the Department. “The project again was given to the company with no tender being called and when there is no necessity to do so,” Manawaduwa said. The organization said problems regarding employees had been added to the losses faced by the Department. Salary anomalies, promotions and making temporary staffers permanent were some of the other issues they highlighted.

“We have many salary anomalies because of the 06/2006 circular that are yet to be rectified,” Manawaduwa said. He said though there were over 10,100 vacancies in the railway Department that needed to be filled, those working on a temporary basis for the past two years had yet not been made permanent. “It is important that all those working on a temporary basis be made permanent as they are easily manipulated for political purposes,” he explained.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka