Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees threatened to strike demanding a salary hike, if salaries of the management are to be increased by 60 to 70%.
Electricity Board Employees' Union Spokesman Ranjan Jayalal said, the unions agreed to a 25% salary increase for all employees, including the top management.
“The Government announced a 25% pay hike for employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and National Water Supply & Drainage Board (NWSDB). We are satisfied with it, as it was for all employees who have been awaiting an increment since 2006,” he said.
“We came to an agreement that 25% will be paid this year, and the remaining 20% to be paid in January 2013. If the Government approves a higher increment for the top management, it would be unfair by other CEB employees. If that happens, they would resort to trade union action for the 45% hike they demanded earlier,” he said.
He said there are about 16,000 employees at the CEB, of whom about 1,200 are in senior management positions.
On January 18, CEB employees gathered at the CEB headquarters in Sir Chittampalam Gardiner Mawatha, Colombo2, demanding the pay hike.
Prior to the 25% salary increment, CEB employees threatened to launch a countrywide strike and work-to-rule until their demands were met; this included not attending to any breakdowns and repairs after the required hours of work. They also warned of an island-wide blackout, if the Government failed to provide the increments.
Attempts to get an official comment from the Power & Energy Ministry Secretary failed. |
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