Connect with us

News

CEBEU escalates trade union action to ‘Level 2’

Published

on

By Ifham Nizam

The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) would escalate its non-cooperation campaign to what it calls level 2 today.

A senior CEBEU member told The Island yesterday that their campaign was against the incumbent General Manager of the CEB and would continue till their demands were met.

He said that members including Additional General Managers should not cooperate with the incumbent GM, CEB.

The Union’s Joint Secretary has asked members to attend urgent meetings on security issues and restoring power supply to institutions such as hospitals.

“It is strictly advised to comply with COVID-19 guidelines and attend the COVID related matters to mitigate the spread of the pandemic. Members are also requested to inform all other members in their unit/branch of the above and also to be in communication with their channel/Area Rep,” he added.

The CEBEU members including Additional General Managers have been told by the union not to have written or verbal communications with the incumbent GM under any circumstances.

Members including Additional General Managers have also been told not to abide by any circulars or carry out any instructions issued by the incumbent GM on any matters violating all administrative and engineering practices, safety rules, operating manuals, code of ethics of engineers and provisions of Sri Lanka Engineering Council Act including Trade Union Ordinance.

The Union Joint Secretary’s special note states: “Members, including Additional General Managers, shall not participate in any kind of Committees/meetings convened or attended by the incumbent GM, CEB.

“All Members including Additional General Managers shall not participate in any kind of functions/ceremonies if such things are convened or attended by the incumbent GM, CEB.

“All Members, including Additional General Managers, shall not participate in any kind of interviews if chaired or attended by the incumbent GM, CEB.

“All Members, including Additional General Managers, shall not facilitate or communicate with any external or internal parties if such parties are appointed or directed by the incumbent GM, CEB even for official matters.”

In addition to the actions already declared under the non-cooperation campaign against the Chairman, CEB should continue their trade union action,a senior engineer added.



Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Earliest Sri Lanka can recover from bankruptcy is in 2027 – Dr Bandula Gunawardena

Published

on

By

Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Dr Bandula Gunawardena at a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Center today (30) said that the earliest Sri Lanka can recover from bankruptcy is in 2027, at which time it is envisaged that the countries foreign reserves which stand at USD 3.5 billion at present would increase to USD 14 billion..

 

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Pope Francis to evict Cardinal Raymond Burke from Vatican

Published

on

By

US Cardinal Raymond Burke has been a leader in the Catholic Church for decades (BBC)

Pope Francis is evicting US Cardinal Raymond Burke, an outspoken critic, from his Vatican apartment and revoking his salary.

Cardinal Burke is part of a group of American conservatives who have long opposed the Pope’s plans for reforming the Catholic Church.

A Vatican source told the BBC that Pope Francis has not yet carried out his intention to evict the 75-year-old and the decision is not meant as a personal punishment, the source added. Instead, it comes from the belief that a person should not enjoy cardinal privileges while criticising the head of the church.

Still, the move is “unprecedented in the Francis era”, Christopher White, a Vatican observer who writes for the National Catholic Reporter, told the BBC. “Typically, retired cardinals continue to reside in Rome after stepping down from their positions, often remaining active in papal liturgies and ceremonial duties,” he said. “Evicting someone from their Vatican apartment sets a new precedent.”

White warned that the decision could “provoke significant backlash” and deepen divides between the Vatican and the US church, where there is already “fragmentation”.

Cardinal Burke has yet to respond to the news and the BBC has reached out to his office for comment.

The Pope revealed his plan to act against the cardinal at a meeting with heads of Vatican offices last week. His frustration with US detractors who take a more traditional or conservative view on several issues appears to be coming to a boil.

Earlier this month, he fired Joseph Strickland, a conservative Texas bishop who had blasted his attempts to move the church to more liberal positions on abortion, transgender rights and same-sex marriage. The removal followed a church investigation into governance of the diocese.

A few months before, the Pope told members of the Jesuit religious order in Portugal that there was “a very strong, organised, reactionary attitude in the US church”, which he called “backward”, according to the Guardian.

Tensions with Cardinal Burke, who was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI, have been simmering for nearly a decade, with the American prelate openly criticising Pope Francis over both social and liturgical issues.

“Cardinal Burke’s situation seems to stem from his gradual alienation from the Pope,” said  White. “It appears the Pope perceives Burke as fostering a cult of personality, centred around traditionalism or regressive ideals. This action seems aimed at limiting Burke’s influence by severing his ties to Rome.”

Pope Francis with hand up in front of Vatican building
Pope Francis waves to crowds while leaving St Peter’s Square (pic BBC)
,

Most recently, the cardinal held a conference called The Synodal Babel in Rome on the eve of the Pope’s synod, or meeting of bishops, last month.

He also joined fellow conservatives in publishing a “declaration of truths” in 2019 that described the Catholic church as disoriented and confused under Pope Francis, saying that it had moved away from core teachings on divorce, contraception, homosexuality and gender. Notably, he disagreed with the Pope promoting Covid vaccines.

Within church politics, he and Pope Francis were at odds over the firing of the head of the Knights of Malta after the order’s charity branch was found to have distributed condoms in Myanmar.

The Pope, in turn, has demoted Cardinal Burke within the church hierarchy or moved him to posts with less influence over the years.

Michael Matt, a columnist for the right-wing Catholic newspaper The Remnant, wrote that the most recent action taken against Cardinal Burke showed that Pope Francis was “cancelling faithful prelates who offer hierarchical cover to pro-life, pro-family, pro-tradition hardliners”. He accused the Pope of putting critics into “forced isolation”.

(BBC)

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger dies aged 100

Published

on

By

Henry Kissinger at the State Department's 230th anniversary celebrations in 2019

Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has died at the age 100.

He served as America’s top diplomat and national security adviser during the Nixon and Ford administrations.

In a statement, Kissinger Associates, a political consulting firm he founded, said the German-born former diplomat died at his home in Connecticut but did not give a cause of death.

During his decades long career, Mr Kissinger played a key, and sometimes controversial, role in US foreign and security policy.

Born in Germany in 1973, Kissinger first came to the US in 1938 when his family fled Nazi Germany. He became a US citizen in 1943 and went on to serve three years in the US Army and later in the Counter Intelligence Corps. After earning bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD degrees, he taught international relations at Harvard.

In 1969, then-President Richard Nixon appointed him National Security Adviser, a position which gave him enormous influence over US foreign policy in two administrations.

(BBC)

Continue Reading

Trending