CTB: More directors than workers, says minister

Transport Minister Dallas Alahapperuma said the number of directors on Ceylon Transport Board (CTB) was much higher than the number of workers employed by the Board. He said this was caused due to recent political promotions granted without transparency.

The Minister said that he had made a request to all employees of the CTB who received those promotions to work in the position in which they were earlier, but accept the salary of the promoted position.

“But not more than 200 acceded to that request. Having more directors and managers in the CTB than conductors and drivers would not develop the organisation. So, we will take necessary steps in future to manage the problem”. The Minister added that even though many were given jobs as conductors and drivers in the CTB recently, there were other vacancies to be filled.

Meanwhile the All Ceylon Transportation Union (ACTU) Secretary Sepala Liyanage said that if the Minister failed to cancel the politically motivated promotions and appoint suitable people to those posts, the union would file charges in the Supreme Courts for violation of Fundamental Rights.

He explained that there had been many political promotions made without any transparency after the SLFP government came to power in 2004. “They promoted nearly 4000 CTB employees with the involvement of the SLFP Transport Union. Workers who were conductors and drivers in March were promoted to the posts of Assistant Managers by April,” he added. The UNP government which came to power in 2001 too acted in the same manner, he said.

“All the promotions made from January 2002 to May 2004 were done without any transparency”, he said. Even though the Minister requested them to work in their previous positions and receive the salary of their promoted position, hardly anybody listened, Liyanage said. He said his organisation’s request was to cancel all the promotions given during the period between 2002 to 2004.

“Those promotions violate CTB rules and regulation as well. We ask the Minister to conduct interviews properly and appoint suitable people for the posts, grant promotions according to merit and educational and professional qualifications,” he said. The SLFP Transport Union was not available for comment.