CEB issues termination letters to 5,000 temp staff

• Talks with unions fail for seventh day- New circular to establish technical services category

By Chathuri Dissanayake

As the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees trade union action continues for the seventh day, the Power and Renewable Energy Ministry is taking all possible measures to push workers to abandon the strike.

As directives issued by the ministry to temporary and probationary staff at the CEB to report to work immediately went unheeded, the ministry yesterday decided to issue termination letters stating that the employees were not considered to have vacated their posts. 

The ministry earlier warned all staff employed on a temporary basis that they would be considered to have left the job if they did not return to work immediately. Accordingly, close to 5,000 employees will be issued letters, Power and Renewable Energy Ministry Media Spokesperson Sulakshana Jayawardena, told Daily FT.

“Although we issue the letters, the Director General will reconsider the decision if they report to work tomorrow,” he said.

Negotiations with trade unions ended in a stalemate yesterday as well, with the Engineers Union disagreeing with the proposal put forward through the Commissioner General of Labour.

The proposal, which was designed following negotiations which the Labour Commissioner had with the CEB Employees Trade Union, included a salary hike of 13.5%. However, the CEB Engineers’ Union rejected the proposal. The engineer category is due for a 25% salary hike next year.

In an attempt to meet the demands made by the unionists engaged in the strike to address the salary anomaly and establish work, the ministry has taken steps to establish a separate technical services category. 

A circular has already been issued yesterday evening to establish the separate category.

However, CEB Trade Union Secretary Ranjan Jayalal said that until an acceptable solution was given to them in writing the strike would continue.

However, in a statement, Power and Renewable Mini-ster Ranjith Siyambalapitiya insisted that electricity generation, transmission and distribution continued uninterrupted despite the strike. 

The Minister noted that consumers were unaffected by the ongoing strike except for a few minor breakdowns. In the statement, Siyambalapitiya also urged strikers to report to work immediately.