‘An engine driver takes home Rs 226,000 a month with OT’

Condemning the strike launched by the railway unions demanding higher salary structures as unjustifiable, Deputy Transport Minister Ashok Abeysinghe yesterday told Parliament that an engine driver earned Rs. 226,000 per month with overtime.

Abeysinghe said following the increase of government servants’ salaries by Rs.10,000, in the last two years, the salary of an engine driver had increased by Rs. 22,000 and by 2020 it will reach Rs. 54,000.

The Deputy Minister said “An engine driver earns between Rs.1,75,000 to Rs.180,000 per month on overtime only. He who works for eight hours will get a nine-hour break and paid 1 1/2 hours pay for every hour and this works out to 600 hours of overtime a month.”

Members of one of the unions had already reported for work, he said.

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