CEB and engineers on collision course

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) and the management are once again on a collision course with the engineers threatening trade union action if their demands are not met, while others in the CEB say many of the demands are unfair and self-serving.

In a letter dated August 2 addressed to the CEB Chairman Udaya Sri Kariyawasam, the CEBEU gave notice of trade union action saying it would “resort to strong trade union action in two weeks unless 18 of their demands are met, within two weeks of the date of the letter”.

The CEBEU said that instead of creating a conducive working environment for its members to serve the public, the Power and Energy Ministry, the CEB board members and the chairman himself had chosen to add to the already woeful situation of undue harassment of its members by various institutions and individuals.

Mr. Kariyawasam told The Sunday Times that most of the CEBEU demands were unreasonable and said the threat of trade union action had been prompted by the planned restructuring of the CEB initiated by the Government. However CEBEU president Ananda Piyatilleke defended the union action and said that while union members were being selectively penalised for ‘errors of judgement’ on their part, others at higher levels were going scot-free despite serious allegations of corruption.

“We stand in the way of corruption and so are being unfairly targeted by the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) as well as other inquiry committees that are set up,” he said. The first two demands of the CEBEU were that there be no inquiry against the CEB General Manager who had released a vehicle to a retired Additional GM and that the strictures imposed on two engineers be removed.With regards to the release of the vehicle, Mr. Kariyawasam said releasing the vehicle to the retired Additional GM was a violation of the Public Administration circular which the GM was bound to uphold.

“At a special board meeting it was decided to conduct an inquiry against the GM who released the vehicle because it was in violation of the circular,” Mr. Kariyawasam said. Union members are scheduled to meet Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne and the CEB Chairman this week. Both Mr. Kariyawasam and Mr. Piyatilleke said they were willing to discuss the issues.

Mr.Kariyawasam said there were many others unions in the CEB and he would talk to them as well.