A number of areas around the country experienced power disruptions due to a sick note campaign by employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board on Friday to protest the decision of the Board not to increase salaries of employees.“Billing offices were closed on Friday and no collection took place.
The depots attending to breakdowns were closed therefore no faults were attended to,” said CEB United Trade Union Front spokesperson Ranjan Jayalal.
According to him there had been power disruptions in Kesbewa, Ratnapura, Kalutara, Biyagama and Ambalangoda with no one to attend to the faults.
“Power may not be restored until tomorrow,” he said. The spokesperson said there would be a meeting tomorrow to take a final decision on a strike.
“Due to the huge expenses incurred because of the war, the employees could not be given a salary increase. Now, though the war is over, there has been no attempt to grant the due increase,” he said.
CEB employees are due to receive a salary increment every three years. The date for the next increase was January 1, 2009.
“Less than three percent of the annual income of the CEB is currently required to make this increase,” he said.
CEB Engineers Union spokesperson Jayawilal Meegoda said that the employees who get low salaries are the ones who are most affected by the delay.
Meanwhile, an official of the Power and Energy Ministry said that the Government has decided to not increase salaries of employees as rebuilding the war torn areas required a huge expenditure.
“The Government is maintaining its stand. It was declared that no public sector employee will get a salary increase due to the huge expenditure required for the development projects in the North and East,” he said.
However, he said discussions would continue and the ministry may consider granting the increase. When asked how much this protest would cost the Government and affect the work at the CEB, the CEB vice-Chairman K.A. Ranaweera refused to comment. |
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