The Energy Ministry has confirmed that it will not reverse its recent decisions, despite a looming strike threatened by certain Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) unions. 

A Ministry official stated the institution has been attentive to all concerns raised thus far but is not in a position to halt its current trajectory. 

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (26), a media official from the Ministry indicated there are no plans to address the unions' requests following the announcement of the token strike yesterday. "The Ministry is moving forward with progressive decisions, and just because the unions want us to suddenly stop, we cannot address those demands," the official said.

However, when contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday, CEB Technicians’ Union President, Kosala Abeysinghe said that none of their demands were satisfactorily addressed. He confirmed the token strike which was scheduled for yesterday proceeded as planned, warning of further trade union (TU) actions if their concerns continue to be ignored.

The TUs of the CEB have been locked in a dispute with the Government over eight key demands. The unions have been critical of recent policy shifts and administrative decisions within the energy sector, which they claim were made without proper consultation and would negatively impact on both the electricity consumers and the workers in the CEB. Tensions have escalated in recent weeks following the Government's refusal to backtrack on these measures. Consequently, the unions announced a token strike yesterday, warning that a failure to address their grievances could lead to an extended, indefinite strike action, potentially disrupting the national power supply.