People tend to appreciate the efforts undertaken by politicians, whereas Trade Unions (TUs) often do not, said Ports, Shipping, and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. He made these remarks at an event held to transfer five fully repaired decommissioned Prime Mover vehicles, to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) on Tuesday (16).
The repair work on these Prime Movers was undertaken jointly by the Mechanical Plant Engineering Division and the Mechanical Works Engineering Division of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).
The Minister highlighted that Trade Unions often harbour the belief that they can achieve their objectives independently of politicians. “However, it is important to remember that it is through the actions of politicians that many initiatives are realised,” he said. The Minister further underscored that salary increases, bonuses, and other benefits are typically facilitated by politicians. “There are certain groups who are all talk and no action, but they will learn a good lesson in the upcoming election,” he added.
The Minister revealed these insights during a function to transfer five decommissioned Prime Mover vehicles, fully repaired, to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). The repair work on these Prime Movers was undertaken jointly by the Mechanical Plant Engineering Division and the Mechanical Works Engineering Division of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA).
It was estimated that outsourcing the repair of each decommissioned prime mover would cost Rs. 2,500,000. However, by conducting the repairs in-house, the cost was reduced to only Rs. 500,000 per vehicle, adding a total savings of Rs. 10,000,000 for the institution. Plans are underway to internally repair 30 more such dilapidated Prime Movers in the near future. Currently, a fleet of around 140 such Prime Movers are in use at port operations.
SLPA Acting Chairman Gayan Algewattege, MD Prabath J. Malavige, Sri Lanka Nidahas Sewaka Sangamaya President Prasanna Kalutharage, and other officials attended.
