News
CEB unions increase pressure; refuse to engage with PSRS
View(s):Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) unions will continue “the second stage” of a trade union action launched this week, whereby all members serving on power sector reform steering committees will refuse to sign, endorse, approve or give consent to any reports, structures, documents, or proposals sent to them by the Power Sector Reforms Secretariat (PSRS).
Separately, members of the joint front of CEB unions walked out of a meeting summoned yesterday to de-escalate the dispute when they found PSRS Director General Pubudu Niroshan was in attendance.
A spokesman for the CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) said they will have no dealings with the PSRS.
Among the main demands of the unions is that the existing benefits and facilities of CEB employees be safeguarded when the utility is “unbundled” into Electricity Generation Lanka (Pvt) Ltd; the National Transmission Network Service Provider (Pvt) Ltd; the National System Operator (Pvt) Ltd; and Electricity Distribution Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.
They also claim that the government is mishandling the reform process and that a solution to their grievances must be found next week to prevent ongoing trade union action from progressing.
On Thursday, the CEB Joint Front Trade Unions engaged in a sick campaign “as a mark of dissatisfaction, since no positive steps have been taken thus far to address our demands”.
“However, our members will take all necessary measures to ensure an uninterrupted electricity supply across the country, in view of the severe hardships currently faced by the general public, while strictly adhering to all safety and operational protocols,” said a notice sent to employees by the Joint Front.
In a letter sent earlier this month to CEB Chairman (who is also the Energy Ministry Secretary) Udayanga Hemapala, the CEBEU expressed “extreme dissatisfaction that no positive steps have been taken thus far either to create a healthy working environment within the CEB or to conduct the reform process in a transparent and professional manner”.
“It has now become a habitual practice on your part to disregard the genuine concerns raised by CEB employees,” it said. “Such disregard has created a series of unnecessary and avoidable issues, thereby risking industrial peace and employee harmony, instead of taking timely and decisive measures that clearly fall within your purview.”
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