- CPC to reimburse Rs. 13.35 m for 6 months
- CPSTL-RAL agreement for 52 SOs
- TUs allege no vacancies, raise privatisation concerns
The Board of Directors of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has approved the outsourcing of 20 Security Officers (SOs) from Rakna Arakshaka Lanka Ltd. (RAL) to address the need for additional manpower in refuelling activities at Katunayake, The Sunday Morning learns.
It is learnt that the approval is contingent on several conditions. These include obtaining prior approval from the Election Commission, limiting the outsourcing to a six-month period, and ensuring that the security officers are not eligible for permanent employment at the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd. (CPSTL).
After the six months, the CPC will implement its own arrangements, with RAL or other providers.
Additionally, the SOs will not be involved in technical tasks related to refuelling but will instead serve as manual assistants to the technical team.
It is learnt that the CPC has requested CPSTL to obtain 20 additional SOs from RAL for a period of six months under the same contractual terms as existing arrangements to avoid delays associated with a complete procurement process.
Accordingly, the board had discussed the matter and had been informed that this was a temporary measure, intended to bridge the gap until automated fillers, already approved by the CPC Board, became operational.
Given that the CPC is currently downsizing as part of an ongoing reform process, the corporation is keen to avoid the burden of new recruitment and the associated increase in fixed costs, it is learnt.
It is also learnt that while there are technically 200 vacancies for SOs at CPSTL, the company is also downsizing as part of its organisational reforms and has frozen its headcount. As a result, no new permanent staff will be recruited to fill these vacancies and there are no surplus security personnel available within CPSTL to meet the CPC’s current needs.
Furthermore, it was also learnt that to cover the cost of these 20 additional SOs, the CPC had agreed to reimburse the incremental expense, totalling Rs. 13.35 million for the six-month period.
CPSTL currently has an agreement with RAL to provide 52 security personnel for its operations.
Neither the CPC nor CPSTL will be involved in selecting the servicemen RAL provides.
RAL, established in October 2006 and renamed in December 2007, is a State-owned security agency under the Ministry of Investment Promotion.
Trade unions at the CPC have raised concerns about the outsourcing of manpower.
Ceylon Petroleum Common Workers’ Union (CPCWU) President Ashoka Ranwala alleged: “There were no vacancies at Katunayake for recruiting new employees. The sudden plan to recruit employees has become a huge issue as employees think that the Government is planning to hand over the operations at the Katunayake aviation division to RAL.”
Power and Energy Ministry Secretary Dr. Sulakshana Jayawardena denied any recruitment, responding: “We can’t say it is a recruitment.” He refuted privatisation claims, emphasising that the arrangements addressed manpower needs.
Attempts to contact RAL Chairman/Chief Executive Officer Major General (Retd) P. Chandrawansa were futile.