President Rajapaksa has issued an Extraordinary Gazette Notification declaring ports, railways, petroleum, the Central Bank, posts, health and several services as essential services.
The gazette has been issued in the background of growing dissent in the country against multiple failures of the government and privatization of important government assets.
The Gazette:
“I, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, in accordance with the powers vested in me by Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979, hereby declare the services provided by any Public Corporation or Government Department or Local Authority or Co-operative Society or any of their branches engaged in providing the services mentioned in the given Schedule as essential services for the operation of aforesaid section while considering that the services provided by any Public Corporation, Government Department, Local Authority, Co-operative
Society or State Bank or any of its branches with respect to services mentioned in the Schedule below are essential for the conduct of ordinary public life and considering the possibility of any hindrances or disruptions in the provision of such services and as well as taking into account the facts mentioned in the guidelines issued by the Director General of Health Services on COVID-19 prevention.
Given at Colombo on the 29 day of October, Two Thousand and Twenty One.”
Schedule
1. All services, works or labour of any description carried out or required to be carried out by or in connection with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority established by the Section 3 of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act, No. 51 of 1979.
2. The supply and distribution of all fuels, including petroleum products and liquefied gas.
3. All services, works, labour of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be carried out in connection with the discharge, carriage, landing, storage, delivery and removal of oil or fuel from vessels within any port, as defined as such,for the purposes of the Customs Ordinance.
4. Freight transport by Sri Lanka Railway Department and all public transport services carried out by the Sri Lanka Transport Board for passenger transport.
5. Maintenance, security and operational aspects that are essential to carry out such public services in line with service requirements.
6. All type of services, works, or labour contributions which should be carried out or required to be carried out by District Secretariats, Divisional Secretariats, Grama Seva Officers, Samurdhi Development Officers, Agricultural Research Assistants including all field level officers of all District and Divisional Secretariats.
7. All state banking and insurance services including the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
8. Waste management services carried out by the Local Authorities.
9. All services, works or labour of any description necessary or required to be carried out in connection with supply, storage and distribution activities of food, beverages including all other essential consumable items to public which performed by Lanka Sathosa Ltd, Co-operative Wholesale Establishment, Food Commissioner Department, Department of Cooperative Development, Cooperative Societies & Paddy Marketing Board, Ceylon Sugar (Pvt.) Ltd.
10. All services, work or labour of any description to be performed by or required by all government offices under the Provincial Councils.
11. All Services, works or labour of any description to be performed or required by in connection with health services.
12. Acceptance and delivery of local and foreign letters, printed materials and parcels, provisions of postal related information, registered letters cash on delivery (COD), local and foreign Express Mail Service (speed post/EMS), special services of delivery of pharmaceuticals and money transactions and all other activities relating to the postal
services in operation under the Postal Department.