Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) attached to the Bandaranaike International Airport Health Office have been told the officer at the centre of their trade union action can appeal his transfer, Deputy Health Minister Dr Hansaka Wijemuni said.Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (23), Dr Wijemuni said that if the officer appealed against the transfer, the Health Ministry would appoint a committee to investigate whether any injustice had been caused.He said the Ministry had looked into the matter following the recent token strike by PHIs and found that the officer had been attached to the airport for 15 years, while officers normally remained there for around five years.“After 15 years, a transfer can take place at any time. The issue would arise if the transfer had been made as some kind of punishment or for an improper reason,” he said.Dr Wijemuni said there was no apparent indication at present that the officer had been transferred illegally or specifically to put him in difficulty.

He said the Ministry had also found that other officers working with the transferred officer had signed a letter saying they could not work with him because of various issues, while there were also complaints involving some other officers.Dr Wijemuni said the Ministry had held discussions with one of the two PHI unions after it requested a meeting. The union that announced the strike had not requested a discussion with the Ministry, he said.He said the union that met the Ministry had told officials that the officer was a member of both unions.“After discussing the matter with the union, we called the relevant officers and obtained explanations from them. Our conclusion was that the officer should make an appeal regarding the transfer,” he said.

Dr Wijemuni said that once an appeal was submitted, the Ministry would appoint a committee to examine whether any injustice had occurred.

He said further trade union action would depend on the response from the health authorities.

The PHI Union resorted to trade union action last week by withdrawing from all dengue-control duties island-wide, while on 21 August 2026, it staged an island-wide token strike by reporting sick.

The trade union action was over the transfer of the senior PHI attached to the Airport Health Office. The union alleged that the transfer was arbitrary and called for the officer to be reinstated.