Amid increasing demands from the railway sector to increase their salaries, the government has gazetted the names of the members of the Special Salaries Commission appointed to look into salaries of all state sector employees. 

The commission is chaired by S. Ranugge, a senior official in the administrative service. 

K.L.L Wijeratne, T.P Kollure, C.P. Siriwardena, Sudharma Karunaratne, Janaka Sugathadasa, Dharani Wijethilake, Lalith R. de Silva, G.S. Edirisinghe, A.R. Deshapriya, B.P.S. Abeygunawardena, Palitha Abeykoon, P. Thangamayil, S.D. Jayakody, M.C. Wickremasekera are other members of the commission. 

Finance and Media Minister Mangala Samaraweera have stated that no salary hike will be given to any sector in the state service before the final report of the commission. 

The commission's report, informed government sources said, is due in two months. 

The Finance and Media Minister's statement, however, contravenes the promise given by President Maithripala Sirisena to railway trade unions last week in Polonnaruwa. President Sirisena pledged to resolve their salary issues and it was based on his promise that railway unions called off the strike. 

Therefore, railway unions have stated that they will give time to the government until Thursday to address their grievances. If not, the unions added, they would resort to another island wide strike.