Ceylon Electricity engineers’ pay has increased by a whopping 113 per cent in just three years from 2012 while the Ceylon Electricity Board is running at a daily loss of Rs.50 million, the National Front For Consumer and Environmental Rights (NFFCER) yesterday disclosed at a press conference.
NFFCER President and lawyer Namal Rajapaksa said the board’s engineers have worked out these increments by allegedly flouting the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB’s) pay increment rules and employment agreements. The press conference was held at the National Library and Documentation Services Board.
He alleged that the Ceylon Electricity engineers have unlawfully obtained two pay increments for the period between 2012 and 2015 creating a huge salary anomaly in the CEB.”
“This has created unprecedented tensions in the institution compelling some parties to pursue cases against CEB in Courts,” he said.
The Attorney General, who would appear for state officials and government agencies in normal circumstances, has refused to appear for CEB in this instance, he said. .
“The people in this country have been made to suffer the disadvantage of having to pay 10 to 15 percent of their salaries as electricity bills to the board because of the CEB Engineers Association’s power mafia allegedly messing up things within the CEB,” he pointed out.
“Their mafia is even stronger than the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) mafia that has put poor patients at risk from time to time,” he said.
“The people are caught in the CEB engineers ‘mafia 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. From the richest businessman to the poorest man is caught in this mafia.”
“It has been learned that they are presently trying to get another pay increase through a Cabinet paper by influencing Power and Energy Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya,” he said.
“They planned this for the New Year for they are reflecting on the possibility that they might get an adverse Court ruling against their cases so that they may be gratified with their desired increments and perks at the end of the day,” Rajapaksa said.
“To our understanding, the mafia of the CEB Engineers Association has made most of the power and energy ministers in the country to be submissive to their whims and fancies except former Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka,”he said ,”they however gave him a hard time.”
He also criticised CEB higher-ups and engineers for preventing the influx of investors to the country. “One way or the other, they will not let alternative energy investments happen so that they can continue to benefit from their lucrative earnings from existing coal power plants.”
“They have already established the dominance of a number of private energy companies within the CEB,” he said.
NFFCER National Organiser Chameera Perera said with the change of the government in 2015, much was expected by the public in terms of reversing the situation that had taken place in state agencies, such as the CEB.
“One wonders if elements of the former regime are still active at the CEB, and whether the country is being dragged to a political culture that had been experienced in the near past,” he said.
NFFCER Women Activist Priyadarshani Ariyaratna said with over 1,200 CEB engineers getting abrupt 113 percent pay increase from 2012, a vicious circle has been created within the CEB. “The engineers are recruited at an initial rate of Rs.97,920 with an additional vehicle payment of Rs.15,000,” she said.
“A laborer is recruited at a salary point of Rs.30,520.”
“Besides CEB engineers get what is called a post-graduate allowance, a disturbance allowance of 30 percent, a generation allowance, remote station allowance, coverage allowance which is one third of the pay a hardship allowance which is 15 percent of the pay, and an administration allowance – one third of the pay.”
“They even get a brain drain allowance, which is 30 percent of the pay among other scholarship allowances, vehicle allowances and housing loans,” she said and added,” this explains why that the consumers have to pay so much for their electricity bills, and why that the prices keep on increasing.”