Crisis at Seylan Bank over collective agreement
View(s):A crisis is brewing at Seylan Bank between workers and the management over the renewal of a 2-year collective agreement on wages and other issues, union sources said.
On Wednesday, Seylan Bank management sought and obtained an ex-parte enjoining order from the Colombo District Court barring unions from proceeding with union action. According to Keshara Kottegodawithana, Vice President of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU), this union and the Seylan Bank Employees Union (SBEU) have been unhappy with the progress of ongoing negotiations over a collective agreement for the next two years with the 2012-14 agreement period ending.
On February 18, the unions gave notice to the management of possible action in the next month if their demands were not considered. The management then went to court on Wednesday with the next date of this case coming up on March 11.
The CBEU official said owing to the court order, the unions cancelled a protest scheduled for Friday, February 27. Both unions are now meeting today (Sunday) to discuss whether to withdraw or not from the agreement reached with the authorities in 2011 which paved the way for a collective agreement process. Seylan Bank officials were not immediately available for comment