Sri Lanka, April 23 -- The Academics' Union of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education has decided to launch trade union action from today after more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts to resolve longstanding issues through discussions with relevant authorities.

The union said key demands include revision and increase of academic allowance, higher payments for visiting lecturers, increase in examination-related payments including paper setting, marking and supervisory duties, and resolution of promotion-related issues affecting academic staff.

SLIATE, under the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, operates 19 Advanced Technological Institutes (ATIs) islandwide, serving over 27,000 stu...