10th July strike will affect all government services

On 9 July 2008 the union that represents Sri Lankan government workers announced that its members will go on strike on 10 July to agitate for salary increases. The strike is expected to affect all aspects of government services. Representatives for the union claim that the majority of government workers' salaries have have not kept up with the rate of inflation. The Sri Lankan government countered that given the current condition of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict, the government cannot afford to give workers a pay increase without cutting into defense spending.