CEB engineers launch trade union campaign; boycott meetings

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union ( CEBEU) has launched a ‘non-cooperation’ trade union action, demanding “regularisation” of salary scales of employees.

Started on Wednesday, the campaign will include boycotting meetings of the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committees ( SCAPC) or the Power Ministry's Procurement Committees (MPC). In a note to its more than 1000 members, the CEBEU has urged them not cooperate with the Power Minister, the State Minister of Renewable Energy Generation Projects Development, the Ministry Secretaries or officials.

A CEBEU spokesman said the Ministry had not contacted them to discuss the union's demands. As part of its protest campaign, the union has ruled out any form of communication ( written or otherwise) or attending meetings, functions or ceremonies convened by these Ministers, Secretaries or officials. It will also boycott Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committees ( CANC), Project Committees and Committees of Special Assignments

Notice of action was given on Monday calling for the salary issue to be resolved before the December 2020 payday. In a statement, the union accused the Cabinet Subcommittee set up to sort out their problems of taking actions to curb the salary benefit of CEB employees.

The statement pointed out that CEB salaries were decided based on a Cabinetapproved collective agreement for 2018 to 2020. “The only requirement to resolve this current issue is to regularise the salary scales of all employees following a well- defined procedure as per the previous Cabinet decision,” the statement said.