President says CEB employees would have to make a choice in next two months

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake today warned that Ceylon Electricity Board Employees would have to make a choice in the next two months.

He was referring to two options given to CEB employees to remain in service and select one of the four sections set up under the restructuring programme or make use of the volunteer retirement scheme.

President Dissanayake made the comments addressing an event to mark the construction of  six additional oil storage at the Kolonnawa Petroleum Storage Complex today.

The new facility will include three tanks with a capacity of 15,000 cubic metres each, two 7,000 cubic metres tanks and one 5,000 cubic metres tank.

“The Ceylon Electricity Board has 26,000 employees under a single governing authority. Yet, when problems arise, it becomes difficult to identify the root-cause there is no clear ownership of the crisis,’ he said.

“ The law to privatize the CEB was passed before this government took office and we have seen its impact on energy autonomy. Is it a crime to amend that law? Is the issue that employees launched work-to-rule action, or that they are on sick leave? In the next two months, they will have to make a choice.”.

The President’s comments came in the wake of a continuous protest by a section of CEB trade unions who are opposing the restructuring programme.

Some of the employees today stayed away from work after applying for sick leave while another group is due to stay away from work tomorrow.