News
CEB unions to decide on work-to-rule action after tomorrow’s meeting with Energy Minister
View(s):By Ishu Bandara
The Ceylon Electricity Board Unions (CEBU) are set to take a decision on their work to rule and non cooperation trade union actions, following a meeting tomorrow with Energy Minister.
The CEBU members yesterday met Minister Kumara Jayakody, and the four directors of the newly formed successor companies, the Joint Front representative of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU), Isuru Kasthurirathne, told the Sunday Times.
“We mainly focused on resolving issues related to the restructuring process. They agreed that the way forward is to have proper dialogue and consultation on each and every item including existing documents, structures, HR policy, and the collective agreement before finalising the document,” he said.
According to Mr. Kasthurirathne, the discussion resulted in an agreement to hold open and transparent consultations involving the directors and the new boards of the successor companies, with the understanding that the government now recognizes the issues raised as reasonable and legitimate.
“Our key point of contention is the HR policy. While the intention of documents such as the employee handbook and the HR policy structure were considered clear and acceptable during the meeting, the content is not fully acceptable and requires rectification due to numerous issues,” he added.
“The participants on the government side agreed to review everything that has been done so far and to make the necessary amendments to the existing drafts. Our core intention is to establish a bilateral discussion on every item of the reform process, including addressing comments and expectations from the employee side. As engineers of the CEB, we have undertaken the mediation role for these discussions.” he added.
During the scheduled crucial meeting tomorrow, the collective unions of CEB will present a list of 24 joint demands. The Minister will personally address this list and discuss issues related to the existing structures. However, as highlighted by CEBEU, certain demands will take time to resolve, but the process of initiating discussions has now begun.
Kosala Abeysinghe, President of the CEB Technical Engineers’ Union, said, “The government responded positively during the meeting on Saturday, and the Minister has called another meeting on Monday, which will include all 29 CEB unions. Any decisions on the ongoing action will be made after that discussion.”
He further said that the CEB unions will announce their decision soon after tomorrow’s meeting.
The best way to say that you found the home of your dreams is by finding it on Hitad.lk. We have listings for apartments for sale or rent in Sri Lanka, no matter what locale you're looking for! Whether you live in Colombo, Galle, Kandy, Matara, Jaffna and more - we've got them all!