Electricity trade unions have decided to suspend their strike action, which was launched over the abolishment of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the establishment of 06 new companies, following the restructuring process.

According to reports, the trade union action was suspended following discussions held with officials of the Ministry of Labour today. 

The electricity trade unions have assured that the disrupted electricity supply will be restored as soon as possible.

The trade union action was launched, accusing the authorities of failing to address their demands related to the CEB’s restructuring process. 

Earlier today (11), commenting on the Trade Union action, Nusith Kumaratunga, Chairman of the National Transmission Network Service Provider (Pvt) Ltd, said trade unions engaged in strike action in the electricity sector are demanding a 40% salary increase, but if that demand is granted, electricity bills may have to be increased by 100%. 

Addressing a media briefing held by the management of affiliated supply companies, he said that the unions had made 64 demands, of which 62 were agreed upon, while for the remaining two issues, the President had given them the opportunity to discuss further.

Most of the 64 demands were requests for benefits already available to the Ceylon Electricity Board, and the Board of Directors had agreed to provide 59 of them at the initial discussion.

Accordingly, five issues remained, and the unions were informed that decisions would be taken after discussions with the Minister.

The unions had also requested that allowances be given in the same way as by the Ceylon Electricity Board, and until a performance system is introduced, this was agreed to.

He further said that an allowance of Rs. 11,000 plus a cost-of-living allowance amounting to about Rs. 17,000 in total was agreed to be given, adding that all demands that could be agreed upon at the ministerial level had been accepted.

However, while demanding a 40% salary increase, they also requested that the Rs. 11,000 allowance be added to the basic salary. The Director stated that under the law of the country, the cost of living allowance cannot be added to the basic salary.

Although this basis was explained, they did not listen, he said.

He further stated that as a government, it is not possible to think only about the 23,000 employees of the Electricity Board, as that would be unfair to other government employees.

A 40% increase would mean Rs. 1.8 billion per month, Rs. 22 billion per year, and by December 31, 2025, the private account loss of the Ceylon Electricity Board alone would be Rs. 35 billion, he said.

NTNSP Chairman Nusith Kumaratunga further said:

“We said, give us a small grace period. These cannot be done all at once. There is a Middle East war. There was also a 25% salary anomaly. That means from August 2024, there was a 25% salary anomaly. All executive‑level officers received that. It was done like this: all who had decision‑making power got 25%. Lower‑level employees who could not participate in decisions got 7%, 8%, 10%, etc. That mistake was corrected on January 1, 2025. So, higher officers got nothing further. The 25% was finished. Now they are saying to change the Cabinet decision and give 25% to everyone from January 1, 2024. Then I said Cabinet decisions cannot be changed by me or the Directors. That must be discussed with the President. That opportunity has also been given. So all demands are complete. Now we cannot understand with what purpose these union actions are being carried forward,” he said. (Newswire)

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Trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) have once again cautioned the government that they would resort to trade union action as soon as the GCE Ordinary Level examinations conclude, if solutions are not provided to their eight demands and if the liquidation of the CEB is gazetted.

They stated that if a wrong decision is taken for unlawful restructuring without listening to their demands, they would be compelled to take this decision within the next 48 hours, even unwillingly.

The unions further said that if employee issues and energy concerns are ignored, and if a proper energy policy is not established, but instead a gazette notification is issued arbitrarily, they will definitely take this decision without further notice. 

They stressed that this serious decision could gravely affect the country and its citizens, and that the government must bear full responsibility.

The CEB unions added that they are not prepared to carry out such action while children are sitting for the GCE Ordinary Level examinations, and that their restraint is only because the exams are being held.

This was stated at a press conference held in Colombo yesterday (23 Feb) by representatives of the CEB Engineers’ Union, including Executive Committee Member Engineer Sandaruwan Manchanayake; Deputy Chairman of the Technical Engineers and Officers’ Union, Nandana Udaya Kumara; Chairman of the Electrical Technicians’ Union, Kosala Abeysinghe; and General Secretary of the Independent Workers’ Union, Prabath Priyantha. 

The warning comes after employees who have applied for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) of the CEB recently stated that the CEB Chairman has confirmed the Gazette notification announcing the dissolution of the Board will be issued on February 28.

They had been further informed that the Government will ensure that compensation payments to employees who choose retirement will be disbursed without complications. (Newswire)

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Twenty‑four electricity sector trade unions, consisting of employees who have applied for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS), have warned of trade union action if the government gazettes the date for restructuring the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) without providing acceptable solutions to their demands.

In a letter sent to the Minister, the unions said they had submitted eight demands nearly a month ago to safeguard employee rights, but no satisfactory response has been given. 

The unions include the CEB Engineers’ Union, Technical Engineers and Officers’ Union, Industrial Technicians’ Union, and the United Electricity Employees’ Union.

They stressed that workers have no option but to resort to trade union action to secure their demands, which include confirming all employee benefits under the collective agreement, ensuring no cuts or adverse changes to monetary and non‑monetary entitlements, preparing documents with proper employee participation, eliminating salary disparities, creating a mechanism to resolve outstanding employee and institutional issues, and granting suspended retirement benefits to voluntary retirees.

The unions noted that a previous letter sent on January 12 had also gone unanswered, reinforcing their decision to escalate action if the restructuring date is gazetted without resolution. (Newswire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced that it will hold a special central committee meeting on Wednesday (07 Jan), to decide on future trade union action, citing the government’s failure to honour written agreements made to resolve long‑standing issues in the health sector.

The GMOA said that despite earlier commitments by the Health Minister, including updating the DAT allowance, resolving transport issues under Circular 22/99, converting the additional duty allowance into a permanent benefit, and establishing a distinct “Sri Lanka Medical Service”, none of these pledges have been implemented. 

Issuing a statement, the association noted that discussions scheduled with the Finance Ministry from January 5 were not initiated due to the Health Ministry’s inaction, which breached the agreed-upon timeline.

The union emphasised that protecting Sri Lanka’s free health service is a national responsibility, warning that continued disregard for doctors’ concerns and systemic issues, such as human resource shortages and drug supply crises, could lead to renewed trade union action. 

The GMOA stressed that while it has acted with flexibility, the government’s failure to deliver on promises has eroded trust and raised serious doubts about its commitment to safeguarding the country’s free healthcare system. (Newswire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has decided to continue with its ongoing trade union action, despite discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday. 

Following a discussion with the President yesterday, the GMOA said the President had informed them that their proposals would be discussed further and that he would look into the possibility of providing reasonable solutions.

However, the GMOA announced today that it will continue with its trade union action due to the unsatisfactory solution to the concerns raised by the union. 

The union commenced a trade union action yesterday (17)  in protest of the government’s lack of attention to their budget proposals in the 2026 budget.

Accordingly, several medical services, including the issuance of prescriptions for external pharmacies and referrals for private laboratory tests, were restricted across hospitals islandwide. (Newswire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced that several medical services, including the issuance of prescriptions for external pharmacies and referrals for private laboratory tests, will be restricted from today across hospitals islandwide.

The decision comes in protest of the government’s lack of attention to their budget proposals in the 2026 budget.

A discussion with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake regarding these concerns is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. today.

Specialist doctors affiliated with the GMOA had submitted proposals to the budget, including housing facilities for specialists, and concerns over the 36% tax imposed on their income and related salary matters.

Speaking at a press briefing in Colombo yesterday, Dr. Sunil Wijesinghe, a representative of the Association of Specialist Doctors, stated that if their demands remain unresolved, they are prepared to launch professional trade union action on November 26 and 27. (Newswire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has announced that a nationwide trade union action will commence tomorrow (31), in protest against the arbitrary transfer procedure being implemented for doctors. 

The GMOA emphasized that if this transfer mechanism is enforced today (30), the responsibility for any disruptions in services at hospitals and healthcare institutions across the country must be borne by the authorities.

The GMOA further said that the Ministry of Health’s decision to implement arbitrary transfers should be immediately suspended and should be carried out through a proper mechanism with the participation of relevant stakeholders and without any disruption to healthcare.

Issuing a statement, the organization noted that these arbitrary actions by the Ministry of Health are further undermining the independence of the health service.

“We have serious suspicions that a group is behind this chain of actions, aiming to undermine the Sri Lankan independent health system and thereby gain profit,” it alleged. 

The GMOA added that despite having submitted suggestions to the Health Ministry, the authorities have yet to respond or hold discussions on the matter. (Newswire)

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The Ceylon Electricity Board unions have announced that they will suspend their work-to-rule campaign after receiving written confirmations of the verbal agreements reached on their demands.

It is reported that the Unions engaged in discussions with the Minister of Power yesterday, during which certain agreements had been reached. 

CEB employees have been engaged in a trade union action over the past few weeks to protest the government’s decision to restructure the CEB, dividing it into four key entities. (Newswire)

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Electricity trade unions have intensified their ongoing work-to-rule campaign, expressing their non-cooperation with the government’s plans to restructure the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). 

Speaking to the media, a trade union representative said a decision has been taken to refrain from cooperating with officials from the Ministry of Power, the CEB Director General, and officials involved in the restructuring process.

“We will not participate in any of the discussions with these officials. We will refrain from taking part in any activities involving them. We have been engaged in this trade union action for over a month now. The government has failed to resolve the issues and has yet to engage in a discussion with us. We will continue our trade union action until the government responds,” he said. 

The trade union representative further said that the electricity trade unions will further intensify the ongoing trade union action in the future. (Newswire)

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The trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) state that they will intensify their work-to-rule trade union action from today (15), in opposition to the proposed division of the CEB into four separate entities.

The Engineers’ Union of the CEB, along with other unions, had previously decided to carry out the trade union action in three phases, beginning last week.

Accordingly, the first phase of the action, working strictly by the rule, was initiated.

Although 11 days have passed since the strike began on the 4th of September, the Engineers’ Union claims that the authorities have so far failed to hold discussions or offer solutions to their concerns.

The union further stated that a formal announcement regarding the intensification of the work-to-rule action will be made following a trade union meeting scheduled for this afternoon. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka’s Postal Department has reportedly suffered a significant revenue loss due to the introduction of the GovPay payment gateway for traffic fines.  

According to the Postal Trade Unions Front (UPTUF), the new digital service has eliminated the income generated by the Postal Department from such payments.

The trade union points out that this shift from post office-based fine payments results in the Postal Department losing between Rs. 600 million and Rs. 800 million in annual revenue.

The Postal Trade Unions Front reveals that this new digital payment for traffic fines was introduced when the Postal Department had already introduced a new SMS notification system for individuals paying police fines at post offices.

Stating that this system was proposed to be developed to notify the respective traffic police officer and the individual who paid the fine via SMS, the trade union claimed that it was not implemented due to a lack of response from the Police Department.

The trade union revealed it was not opposed to the use of technology and urged the government to launch the SMS fine system designed by the Postal Department, warning that a revenue loss could directly impact the Treasury.

As the GovPay online traffic fine payment system has been introduced as a pilot programme, the trade union urged the government to revise and integrate its SMS fine system. (Newswire)

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The Customs Trade Union Alliance today filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over recent claims that several cargo ships that arrived in Sri Lanka had been reportedly turned back due to delays in container clearance.

Speaking to reporters, President of the Alliance Amila Sanjeeva said that investigations were conducted into the claims, adding that the Harbour Master’s Office which monitors ships has confirmed no ships have been turned away. 

Stating that ships may have been turned away due to logistical issues, which were common occurrences, Amila Sanjeeva said, however, no ship had been turned away due to delays in container clearance.

He further said that the CID has been requested to conduct a comprehensive investigation to identify who had spread such false information, including to the President, and the Minister and Deputy Minister of Ports. (Newswire)

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The trade unions attached to the National Peoples’ Power (NPP) will be disbanded in the near future, NPP candidate Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi said.

Addressing a public event in Kesbewa, the senior JVP member pointed out there was no need for trade unions under the current circumstances and that the inconvenience faced by the country due to strikes will end after November 14.

“Earlier teachers, principals, doctors, nurses, and bus associations were all continuously striking. Going forward such strikes will permanently end in the country,” NPP candidate Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi said.

He pointed out that in the next 10- 15 years, it will come to the point of educating children of the future generation on the meaning of strikes and curfews.

“A good country is created without any of that. This is a period of transition which will end after November 14,” he added. (Newswire)

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The university non-academic staff trade unions have decided to call off their 75-day strike from today.

According to the trade unions, the decision was taken following discussions with the Chairman of the Unversity Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Sampath Amaratunge and the Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha. 

Non-academic employees from 17 universities and 19 joint post-graduate institutions engaged in a strike for over 70 days, severely disrupting the country’s higher education sector. The trade union action was launched based on several demands, including wage concerns and allowances.

Last week, the executive grade officers of the university’s non-academic staff became the first group to call off their trade union action. The strike action was called off based on an agreement signed with the Chairman of the UGC.

Following their footsteps, the remaining university non-academic staff trade unions on strike also called off their strike today. (Newswire)

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President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s proposal for a special pay increment to non-executive government officials who reported for duty on Monday (July 8) and Tuesday (July 9) has received a Cabinet nod.

The President’s proposal also requests to issue the officers with a commendation certificate for future promotions.

According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the Cabinet of Ministers approved the President’s proposal today.  

The President’s proposal comes amidst a two-day trade union action staged by 200 public sector trade unions over various demands, including salary anomalies.

The public was severely inconvenienced by the trade union action staged yesterday and today, by several trade unions including postal, Grama Niladharis, surveyors, Samurdhi, District and Divisional Secretaries, and education officers. (Newswire)

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Public Service Trade Unions have warned that if the authorities fail to address their demands within today they will convene in Colombo tomorrow (July 10) to decide on the future course of action.

The trade unions state they are not ready to give up following the two-day campaign and that they have agreed to convert the trade union action into a continuous strike.

The ‘Sick Leave’ campaign launched by 200 public sector trade unions, demanding a Rs. 20,000 salary hike and to revise the salary to Rs. 25,000 matching that of executive officers, continues for the second consecutive day today. 

The two-day trade union action was launched yesterday with the participation of the trade unions of postal, Grama Niladharis, surveyors, Samurdhi, District and Divisional Secretaries, and education officers. 

It is reported that most public offices are empty due to the strike action, with all the non-executive level services not reporting for duties today, severely inconveniencing the public.

General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin said teachers and principals of all schools are engaged in the trade union action and have reported sick today, affecting the academic activities of school children.

He further said that, however, they are continuing the practical tests of the GCE Ordinary Level Examination.

Meanwhile, Postal employees have reported sick for duty, while only executive grade and administrative officers have reported for duty, resulting in the Central Mail Exchange and several main post offices closing.

The striking trade unions have requested the people not to come to receive the services of public institutions today. (Newswire)

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At least 72 health sector trade unions, except doctors, are to launch a strike tomorrow (Feb 13).

According to the trade unions, the strike will be launched from 6.30 am on Tuesday. 

The decision to launch a strike has been taken after a discussion with the Ministry of Finance held today had failed.

A discussion was held between the Finance Ministry and Trade Unions, on the latter’s demand for the Disturbance, Availability & Transport (DAT) allowance provided to doctors to be granted to healthcare workers as well.

In January this year, the Cabinet approved the President’s proposal to double the DAT allowance for doctors only, raising it from Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 70,000.

Following the decision, health sector trade unions demanded that the allowance be provided to them as well, threatening to resort to Trade Union action. (NewsWire)

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The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has suspended its trade union action planned for tomorrow over the suspension of the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance for doctors.

The GMOA warned of launching an indefinite trade union action from 08.00 am after it was reported that the Director General of Health Services had issued a circular temporarily suspending the DAT allowance which was to be provided in the January salary. 

However, the Director General of Health Services has issued directives in writing to the heads of health institutions to immediately revoke the decision.

The Director General of Health Services has also instructed to provide the DAT allowance via special vouchers to doctors who are not provided the allowance with their January salary.

Based on the decision of the Director General of Health Services, the GMOA has decided to suspend its indefinite trade union action planned for tomorrow. 

The GMOA had decided to launch the trade union action after alleging that certain Financial Ministry officials were attempting to halt the payment of DAT allowance to doctors.

The Cabinet had recently approved to increase the DAT allowance by Rs. 35,000 for doctors only. (NewsWire) 

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The Association of Medical Specialists has decided to launch a trade union action tomorrow, over the suspension of the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance for doctors.

Issuing a statement, the Association announced that it will resort to an All Island Trade Union action commencing from 8.00 am tomorrow. 

The move comes after the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) earlier today announced it will engage in a trade union action against the suspension of the DAT allowance for doctors. 

The GMOA alleged that despite cabinet approval being granted to increase the DAT allowance for doctors by Rs. 35,000 and including it in the January salary, some officials from the Finance Ministry were attempting to suspend it. 

The full statement of the Association of Medical Specialists; 

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Trade unions across various sectors are preparing to commence comprehensive joint discussions on the government’s alleged attempts to privatize key sectors such as electricity, banking, insurance, telecom, and postal services.

Issuing a statement, the Trade Unions said against the backdrop of the government’s current push to privatise public enterprises and assets under various guises, trade unions across various sectors are gearing up to commence comprehensive joint discussions next week. 

The move aims to address the concerns arising from the impending privatisation processes affecting electricity, banking, insurance, telecom, and postal services.

Anticipated to be a collaborative effort encompassing diverse trade unions, these discussions aspire to forge agreements based on the unique needs of each respective sector. To facilitate this dialogue, trade union leaders have been invited to a crucial meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 28, 2023, at the Postal Auditorium.

The Trade Unions said several sectors, including electricity, banking, insurance, telecom, and postal services, have already expressed their endorsement of these discussions. In recent weeks, unions representing postal and telecom workers have staged strikes, with the latter continuing its protest action last week.

The invitation for these discussions, jointly extended by various trade unions, emphasises the adverse impact of state enterprise privatisation on a substantial number of citizens, potentially forcing them out of the national market. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the negative changes in working conditions that employees in these enterprises will face.

The Trade Unions further said the communication underscores a notable absence of electoral mandates for privatisation measures in recent elections, pointing out that neither the current government nor its predecessor has sought a mandate for this integration process. The Unions assert that implementing recommendations solely based on the demands of international institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund, without public consensus or formal stakeholder consultations, contradicts democratic principles and undermines the sovereignty of the people and the nation itself.

“While recognizing that there may be differing views on privatisation within the country, the trade unions collectively advocate for a unified and serious opposition to such a significant change,” they said.

Emphasising the need for a democratic and consultative approach, the Trade Unions have called for these discussions to ensure that the concerns of all stakeholders are adequately addressed. (NewsWire)

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