A collective of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) unions have threatened to take strike action if a Cabinet Paper approving the 120 percent salary increase of engineers falls through.
Lanka Electricity Employees Union Ranjan Jayalal told the Daily News that Power and Renewable Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake was to submit a Cabinet Paper which will see overrule an Appeal Court ruling.
“There is a move to backdate the circular granting the increase of salary and present it in the form of a Cabinet Paper. If this falls through we are willing to take to the streets,” he said. “It is not only unfair it is also illegal.”
Jayalal added that when he and other unionists attended the meeting on Monday they were served no-pay while other unionists were given personal leave.”
He further said that at a time when there is power crisis engineers must not take advantage of the situation by clamouring for this salary increase.
Meanwhile, the case against CEB over unlawful power interruptions was postponed today since the lawyer representing the CEB was not present.