News
Amid conflicts and consensus, unions oppose CEB split
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
The restructuring of the state-owned Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has faced a major snag, with trade unions starting a work-to-rule campaign over the government’s reform plan.
While some unions have been demanding change for years to end what they call the engineers’ monopoly, others strongly oppose the breakup of the CEB, warning it will lead to privatisation, which, in turn, threatens national sovereignty.
On August 25, 2025, the government registered four new private limited companies: National System Operator (Private) Limited, Electricity Generation Lanka (Private) Limited, National Transmission Network Service Provider (Private) Limited, and Electricity Distribution Lanka (Private) Limited. Under a new law, six companies in total are to be created, including two additional companies: one to handle assets and liabilities and another to protect employee pension and provident funds.
But unions say the process has been rushed, badly managed, and completely lacking in transparency. A collective comprising 25 trade unions has put forward 24 demands and warned of further action.
Isuru Kasthurirathne, a CEB engineer and executive committee member of the CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU), told the Sunday Times, “We cannot take this restructuring process as a simple thing. We are talking about electricity sector reforms, the most important in Sri Lanka’s history since independence.”
He described the reform as the most significant and impactful since independence but said the process has now become a disaster created by the government itself, as it does not understand the gravity of the CEB restructuring and is handling it in an unprofessional and reckless manner.
He argued that a reform of this magnitude should be managed with the utmost professionalism, not by an inexperienced secretariat.
Mr Kasthurirathne criticised the Secretariat for sharing draft documents informally via WhatsApp instead of through official channels. Stressing that the lack of functional assurance is the most critical issue for both consumers and the country, he emphasised the need for a guarantee from the new companies that they would operate smoothly without a glitch after the CEB was dissolved.
Such an assurance, he explained, means ensuring that every interconnected job and process continues seamlessly after the unbundling. “Imagine what happens if something fails; the whole economy will collapse. This is not a joke; we understand the gravity of that,” he said.
Emphasising the core issue, he said, “This problem lies in the lack of proper stakeholder consultation and the qualifications of those managing the reform.” He said the reform process itself requires proper consultation.
He also condemned a recent final notice sent to employees, compelling them either to accept transfers to the new companies or take voluntary retirement. The letter, he said, gave no details on job roles, organisational structures, promotions, or transfer policies. “The minister later apologised, admitting that the process had been rushed. This shows there is much more to be done,” Mr Kasthurirathne said.
He added that two crucial companies have not even been established yet, particularly the one meant to safeguard employee pension and provident funds, which he described as the life savings of workers.
The union’s most important demand is to change the current reform process into a transparent and accountable one, he reiterated.
While engineers highlight flaws in the process, other unions see this restructuring as an opportunity to finally break what they call the engineers’ monopoly at the CEB.
Ceylon Electricity General Employees Union President Malaka Wickremasinghe said his union first demanded restructuring back in 2016. He explained that electrical engineers were running departments such as HR, accounts, and IT, though they were not qualified for them. “The institution was completely controlled by electrical engineers,” he said.
Sujeewa Sampath, President of the Technological Engineers and Superintendents Union, also said electrical engineers dominate nearly all key sections. His union’s main demand is the creation of a world-standard HR policy that allows professionals from other fields to function independently.
As these statements were made about the “engineers’ monopoly”, the Sunday Times asked about this claim from Mr Kasthurirathne of the CEB engineers’ union.
“The CEB is a technical institute. For instance, tariff filing is a highly technical area involving formulas, mathematical equations, and parameters, so it naturally falls to engineers. Also, reforms could allow HR professionals to take charge in a new system, but under the current setup, an HR professional without technical knowledge cannot survive even one week.”
He argued that the CEB’s primary and essential work is purely technical, and since the institution’s purpose is to produce, transmit, and distribute electricity, it is natural for engineers to dominate its management structure.
His reasoning is that almost every task, clarification, and letter that comes to the HR department is of a technical nature, using jargon and concepts that a non-engineer would not understand. He stated that while the head of HR is an engineer, that person must also have an MBA and management experience to be qualified for the position. He compared the CEB to other iconic engineering institutions in Sri Lanka, like the railway, suggesting that these are “engineering companies” by nature.
“So without engineers, how can you run this operation?” The CEB is considered a “giant in engineering marvel” and has historically been a top destination for engineering graduates from local and foreign universities, even though these roles are deeply technical within the context of the CEB’s operations.
However, some unions reject the restructuring altogether. Kosala Abeysinghe, the president of the CEB Technicians’ Union, in a voice message to the Sunday Times, said he opposed the division of the CEB into pieces, as it posed a threat to the country. He called the plan “a blueprint for privatisation” and a threat to national sovereignty.
A former CEB union official also warned against privatisation, saying energy should remain under government control. He pointed to Bangladesh as an example and insisted, “Energy should be with the government of a country.”
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