Trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), which have long opposed restructuring and alleged moves towards privatisation, have intensified their trade union action.

As part of their campaign, CEB workers staged a two-day sick note protest on 17 and 18 September. Parallel to this, workers from the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd (CPSTL) staged a protest outside the CEB headquarters in Colombo yesterday.

Against this backdrop, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, speaking at the ceremonial opening of fuel tanks at the Kolonnawa oil storage facility on 17 September, issued a warning to CEB workers engaged in the protest campaign.

“They say they are working to the letter, they say they are taking sick leave. Tell them this – this cannot continue,” the President said.

The President’s remarks drew criticism from trade union representatives. Lanka CEB Technical Engineers’ Union President Kosala Abeysinghe said that workers had resorted to trade union action in response to arbitrary and unilateral restructuring efforts.

Priyantha Wickramasinghe, General Secretary of the New Petroleum Workers’ Union, condemned the President’s statement, arguing that such remarks were possible only because of the wide-ranging powers of the executive presidency.

Abeysinghe further noted that CEB unions were continuing their struggle to achieve the same goals that the current government once championed when it was in opposition.

“You have been given incorrect data. It is on the basis of this wrong information and wrong conclusions that you are threatening CEB employees and their unions. We respectfully remind you that whatever threats or warnings are directed at us, we will continue to take the necessary steps in the future,” Abeysinghe stated.