Negotiations between CEB and trade unions at a deadlock

• Ministry calls retired workers back to work 
• A circular on terms of employment and payment schedules for the retired workers to be sent today 
• Ministry notifies all casual and probationary employees to retort to work immediately or risk losing jobs 

As trade union action taken by Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees continue for the third day, the Ministry yesterday issued notice for retired staffers to report to work. 

Authorities were unable to break the deadlock in negotiations with the trade unions leaders who launched the strike making several demands including rectification of a salary anomaly and taking action against alleged financial fraud within the organisation. 

According to Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya a committee comprising of Ministry Secretary, Commissioner General of Labour and a former General Manager of CEB has presented the unions with solutions to the salary demands, which one fraction of the union has flatly rejected. 

“We cannot please everyone. We have given the best possible solutions but, while one fraction is agreeable, the other fraction is not. So we have to continue with the negotiations,” Siayambalapitiya told Daily FT. 

CEB Workers Union Secretary Ranjan Jayalal, however, claimed that the solutions presented to them during the meetings were not acceptable to the unions. 

“The Minister has not been able to give us an acceptable solution. Instead of taking action against those who have committed financial fraud, he has offered to give us a salary incentive. We demand that action be taken against them. And the salary ratio between admin staff and lower level employees widening from 1:9 from 1:6 in 2015 has to be rectified,” Jayalal told Daily FT.

Denying allegations of corruption, the Minister claimed that he has been able to bring corruption to a minimum since taking over. 

“I have taken steps to call competitive tenders for all purchases within the Ministry. This has left little room for corruption,” he claimed. 

In a bid to nullify the union action, the Ministry reiterated a notice issued earlier for all CEB workers employed on a probationary or temporary basis to report back to work immediately or face losing their jobs. The Ministry also called all CEB employees who retired after 1 September 2014 back to work with immediate effect. However, CEB pension union President O. P. Karunadasa said that he was not aware of such a notice. Instead, the union was busy organising their Annual General Meeting scheduled for today with the participation of the Minister and other top CEB officials.

Siyambalapitiya claimed that attendance was better yesterday compared to day one of the strike. He said he expects the trend to continue, especially as the Ministry has also called retired workers to service. A circular on how to employ retired employees who report to work today will also be issued by the Ministry today, including payment scheme, the Minister said.

“While negotiations are going on with the trade unions, I have to ensure that our 5.5 million customers are given an uninterrupted service. So we have taken steps to recall those who retired after September 2014 to work, and the response has been good,” he said. 

 The Ministry, issuing a separate statement, claimed that the strike launched by the union was ineffective as the CEB was able to function all three main divisions over 50% of its capacity. 

“Only a very few breakdowns were reported. We have been able to provide uninterrupted electricity supply across the island,” the statement said.

According to the Ministry, both generation and transmission of electricity worked at full capacity and the distribution division was operational at 65% of its capacity due to the trade union action.