COLOMBO: Hundreds of thousands of pupils were left stranded on Tuesday after railway workers in Sri Lanka refused to abandon a strike during national exams.
President Maithripala Sirisena had appealed to drivers, station masters and technical staff to end their industrial action to enable students to get to school.
More than 400,000 students aged around 15 are sitting the examinations, which began on Tuesday, and the president’s office said the transport difficulties would cause them severe stress.
"Those who go on strike must realise the plight of the students sitting the exams today," one parent told the ITN television network. "Don’t they have children of their own?" But a trade union spokesman said staff would not return to work until their demands for higher pay were met. And he condemned parliament for declaring railways an essential service, effectively making the strike illegal.
Liberal Justice Elena Kagan on Sept. 13, 2016. — Slate website WASHINGTON: U.S. Supreme Court justices, wading back...
A representational image of inmates behind jail bars. — Unsplash/FileMOSCOW: A Russian court on Wednesday ordered...
Sudanese soldiers guard the surrounding area of the UNMIS compound in El-Fasher, the administrative capital of North...
US quietly shipped ATACMS missiles to Ukraine. — Report news agencyWASHINGTON: The United States in recent weeks...
US President Joe Biden during his address in California. — AFP FileWASHINGTON: President Joe Biden signed a...
The World Meteorological Organisation flag. — AFP FileGENEVA: Global temperatures hit record highs last year, and...