News
Engineers draw red line as CEBEU warns of union action over appointed date
Engineers at the Ceylon Electricity Board have drawn a clear red line over the government’s plan to gazette the appointed date for restructuring the utility, warning that trade union action will follow if the move is pushed through without addressing their core demands, the Sunday Island learns.
The powerful Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) says preparations are already under way for industrial action, most likely after the appointed date gazette is published, should the Minister proceed without resolving outstanding issues raised repeatedly by engineers.
“If the appointed date is gazetted without addressing our demands, we will have no option but to take trade union action,” a senior electrical engineer told The Island, stressing that the warning should be taken seriously.
CEBEU sources say the engineers’ demands are aimed at preventing a structural and financial crisis in the electricity sector, rather than blocking reform. They insist that unbundling the CEB without first putting in place firm safeguards would expose the sector to instability and consumers to higher costs.
The engineers’ key demands include: legally binding financial safeguards to ensure the proposed Electricity Generation Company is viable from inception; protection against the transfer of legacy liabilities, extraordinary costs, or inefficiencies to new entities or electricity consumers; enforceable accountability for management and policy decisions that inflate system costs; genuine, structured consultation with technical professionals before irreversible decisions are taken; and a halt to gazetting the appointed date until these safeguards are formally incorporated.
Engineers warn that rushing the appointed date would lock existing weaknesses into the new structure, making them harder—and more expensive—to fix later. “Once the appointed date is gazetted, there is no rewind button,” a senior engineer said. “If the foundation is flawed, the entire structure will suffer.”
Meanwhile, according to energy analyst, Dr. Vidhura Ralapanwe, electricity sector reforms must be grounded in technical and financial reality, not driven by administrative timelines.
He has cautioned that implementing structural changes without correcting underlying governance and cost issues risks destabilising the sector and undermining public confidence.
CEBEU officials reject claims that the union is resisting reform. They say engineers are being sidelined in decision-making while being held responsible for system performance. “We are accountable for keeping the system running, but our professional warnings are being ignored,” one engineer said. “That is not reform; it is reckless governance.”
With the Minister yet to gazette the appointed date, tensions within the power sector are rising sharply.
Engineers say the government now faces a stark choice: engage with professionals and fix the problems first—or brace for confrontation in a sector where disruption will have coutrywide consequences.
By Ifham Nizam ✍️
Latest News
Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts
Warm Weather Advisory
Issued by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre of the Department of Meteorology
at 3.30 p.m. on 25 March 2026, valid for 26 March 2026.
The Heat index, the temperature felt on human body is likely to increase up to ‘Caution level’ at some places in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in
Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts.
The Heat Index Forecast is calculated by using relative humidity and maximum temperature and this is the condition that is felt on your body. This is not the forecast of maximum temperature. It is generated by the Department of Meteorology for the next day period and prepared by using global numerical weather prediction model data.
Effect of the heat index on human body is mentioned in the above table and it is prepared on the advice of the Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medical Services.
ACTION REQUIRED
Job sites: Stay hydrated and takes breaks in the shade as often as possible.
Indoors: Check up on the elderly and the sick.
Vehicles: Never leave children unattended.
Outdoors: Limit strenuous outdoor activities, find shade and stay hydrated.
Dress: Wear lightweight and white or light-colored clothing.
Note:
In addition, please refer to advisories issued by the Disaster Preparedness & Response Division, Ministry
of Health in this regard as well. For further clarifications please contact 011-7446491.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Colombo declared that the United States and Sri Lanka maintain a long-standing defence partnership, grounded in transparency, mutual respect, and shared interests.
The official said so in response to The Island query regarding President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s recent bombshell disclosure, in Parliament, that his government declined to allow the US Air Force to use the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport, following the eruption of the latest West Asia war.
We sought views of the US on President Dissanayake’s claim against the backdrop of Sri Lanka being a party to the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) since 2007. Sri Lanka extended the ACSA in 2017, for another 10-year period, and its extension comes up next year.
The President revealed that the US had requested permission to use Mattala, between 04 and 08 March.
Claiming that the request had been made on 26 February, two days before the war began, President Dissanayake said that the US had sought to land two aircraft, carrying eight anti-ship missiles, but that the request had been turned down to maintain Sri Lanka’s neutrality. The President revealed that the aircraft were to come from a US base in Djibouti.
The US embassy pokesperson explained that questions related to operational movements, including ‘Operation Epic Fury’, should be directed to the Department of War (DOW) in Washington.
Camp Lemonnier is the primary base of operations for US Africa Command in the Horn of Africa. China, too, has its only overseas military base in Djibouti in the vicinity.
Military sources said whatever various interested parties said about US-Sri Lanka relations, the former provided significant intelligence support during last phase of the conflict that enabled the Navy to hunt down floating LTTE arsenals in international waters. Of the eight LTTE vessels sunk, the US backed four hits with specific intelligence, sources said.
News
No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor
Sri Lanka’s worker remittances had not seen a decrease despite the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Central Bank (CBSL) Governor, Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe said yesterday.
“Based on currently available data, they have not seen a decline in remittances. In fact, according to that we have observed, is a slight increase in remittances in the past few days, ” the Governor said at a media conference held at the Central Bank head office in Colombo.
Governor Weerasinghe also mentioned that he had not seen any reports about Sri Lankans returning to the country from the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.
The Central Bank Governor, however, acknowledged that there had been a decrease in tourist arrivals. He confirmed that tourist arrivals had decreased by around 17 percent due to the current volatile situation in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka has decided to maintain the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at the current level of 7.75%, following its latest Monetary Policy Board meeting.
By Hiran H Senewiratne
UN votes to recognise enslavement of Africans as ‘gravest crime against humanity’
Meta and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial
Showers expected in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in Galle and Matara districts after 2.00 pm.
Heat Index at ‘Caution level’ in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern and North-western provinces and in Anuradhapura, Mannar, Vavuniya and Monaragala districts
US dodges question on AKD’s claim SL denied permission for military aircraft to land
No decrease in remittances from workers due to Gulf conflict, but significant drop in tourist arrivals – CB Governor
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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