• Engineers push for collective agreement, warn of joining fray  

Electricity workers staged a protest yesterday (22) against the new Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill proposed by the Government as part of the restructuring process of the electricity sector, including the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

The protest was held last afternoon opposite the CEB Head Office, with workers reporting sick leave to participate, according to the Ceylon Electricity Workers Union.

The said Bill is scheduled to be presented to the Parliament for its second reading tomorrow (24). It has received approval from the Parliamentary Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development.

However, the electricity workers claim that the Government is attempting to privatise the CEB through the proposed Bill. To oppose the move, all CEB workers were expected to report sick leave and stage a protest in Colombo yesterday, according to Union General Secretary Prabath Priyantha.

Meanwhile, the CEB Engineers’ Union has also announced its support for this protest campaign. Issuing a statement, the Union indicated that if the Government fails to take steps to accept the proposed collective agreement submitted by the CEB employees, they will be compelled to resort to union actions in the future.

PHOTO Ishan Sanjeewa