CEB Engineers' Union warns of 'dangerous vacuum' as second stage of work-to-rule on Monday

All trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have decided to escalate their ongoing “work-to-rule” campaign into a second stage from September 16, after weeks of silence from the government on critical staffing and restructuring issues.

- BY IFHAM NIZAM

The CEB Engineers' Union (CEBEU), one of the most influential bodies within the utility, cautioned that the government's failure to address deepening concerns could cripple the country's power sector and derail the reform process.

CEBEU President Dhanuska Parakramasinghe told The Island that the unions had no choice but to act.

He added: "Since we haven't received any meeting or any positive response from the government, the Minister, or the Secretary, we have decided to move to stage two of the campaign. Stage one will continue, but the second stage will be notified formally to the Secretary, the Chairman, and the General Manager of the CEB on Monday, September 15," he said.

Parakramasinghe stressed that the unions were still waiting for documents the Power and Energy Ministry had promised, particularly relating to the confirmation of appointment letters. "If those documents arrive by the 15th, we can review them and reconsider our course.

But as of now, no assurances have been delivered," he added.

According to CEBEU, one of the most serious threats to the organisation's future is the erosion of its technical workforce.

"The sad truth is, if excess people exist in the CEB, they are not the technical staff.