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CEB engineers launch non-cooperation campaign, targeting top ministry officials; minister excluded
View(s):By Dilushi Wijesinghe
The standoff between the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) and the Ministry of Energy took a decisive turn this week, with the union announcing a comprehensive non-cooperation campaign against the Ministry Secretary and senior officials while pointedly “excluding the Minister of Energy for now.”
In a letter dated October 3, addressed to Energy Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala, the union declared that all cooperation with the Ministry would cease from 4:15 p.m. on October 7, accusing officials of mishandling the ongoing electricity sector reforms and ignoring repeated warnings from engineers.
“If you fail to respond positively and responsibly,” the letter states, “CEBEU will immediately instruct its members to withdraw all cooperation with you and the Ministry, including their withdrawal from every committee, irrespective of their TOR.”
“We don’t want to affect the public in our actions. That’s why we are taking action against management, because they are the personnel without proper planning in this reform process,” a CEBEU union member told the Sunday Times.
The move follows months of mounting frustration among engineers over what they describe as the ministry’s “reckless and irresponsible handling” of the power sector restructuring process—a project that has already faced repeated delays, inconsistent policy directives, and growing public scrutiny.
According to the union member, the reform process is being carried out “without any proper planning”. He stressed that “it is required to independently carry out this process with proper, experienced personnel involved”, warning that continuing with ad hoc reforms could cause severe institutional instability.
“While appreciating the intervention of the Hon. Minister to address the issues caused by appointing ad hoc committees in breach of the provisions of the Act, we have noted that, despite our numerous communications, your involvement, as the Secretary of Energy, in resolving these vital issues has remained limited, and this lack of engagement has further hampered the process,” the union stated.
The CEBEU member explained the union’s decision to exclude the minister from the campaign for now. “We still hope for an amicable solution from at least the minister at this stage. If he also doesn’t look into this matter, then we have to think about other options.”
He said that the campaign will continue until further notice, “expecting positive results from the management.”
The union warned that the government’s restructuring agenda is “moving in the wrong direction”, pointing to ad hoc decisions, legal breaches, and an apparent lack of transparency within the Power Sector Reform Secretariat (PSRS).
“Without urgent corrective measures,” the letter cautioned, “the restructuring process is certain to collapse—not because of employees, but entirely due to the Ministry’s reckless and irresponsible handling of the process.”
Among the union’s grievances are the issuance of irregular assignment letters, unapproved organisational structures, incomplete HR policies, and what it called a “flimsy preliminary transfer plan draft”.
The CEBEU member elaborated that reforms are being carried out “in an ad hoc way—one day they prepare one structure, the next day they come with another. It can’t be that system.” He added that proper analysis should precede any changes. “They should first study our system, then analyse our functions, and against the functions define the positions.”
The letter also raised alarm over attempts to extend the retirement age of selected officers in alleged violation of Extraordinary Gazette No. 2309/04, issued on December 5, 2022. The CEBEU warned that such actions “severely undermine public confidence in the reform process” and give the impression that favouritism and selective treatment are shaping key appointments.
“This is a huge organisation directly impacting the economy. If something goes wrong, it will affect the whole country and its 22,000 workers,” the union member warned.
“Please recognise that all these efforts are made in good faith to guide the reform process in the right direction,” the letter concluded. “However, unless addressed, the serious consequences that will follow, including the collapse of the power sector and the resulting economic damage to the nation, will rest entirely on your shoulders,” the union warned.
Copies of the letter have been sent to the President, the Minister of Energy, the Secretary to the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, the CEB Chairman and the General Manager, the Commissioner General of Labour, and senior officials of the International Labour Organisation, ADB, IMF, JICA, and World Bank.
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