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Govt. must not grant CEB workers bonuses: Ex-Minister Wijesekera

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1 year ago

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Kanchana / Ranjan

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Former Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera yesterday (27) said that the government trade union at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) couldn’t under any circumstances demand a Christmas bonus.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is also the Finance Minister, should respond to the ultimatum issued by the General Secretary of the CEB Workers Union, National Trade Union Centre, Ranjan Jayalal Perera.

Wijesekera, a front runner for one of the two National List slots secured by the New Democratic Front (NDF), said that the government must not give in to such an unfair demand.

The CEB trade union leader has demanded that they be paid bonus by or before Dec. 10.

Perera, who is also a member of the NPP’s National Committee and had been on the NL, though overlooked, declared that they expected to resolve the issue at hand without any problem as their party was in power.

Responding to another query, Wijesekera said that the CEB workers hadn’t been paid bonus in 2022 and 2023 as the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government decided to introduce a performance-based system to pay bonus. Wijesekera received appointment as Power and Energy Minister in April 2022, at the height of the political turmoil that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office, three months later.

Regardless of the CEB union’s current status, the trade union leader couldn’t dictate terms to the management and the government, Wijesekera said, warning if the government succumbed to such tactics, trouble could erupt at other state enterprises.

Payment of bonus must be decided by the government, taking into consideration a range of other relevant factors, Wijesekera said.

A top Central Bank official said that though there was no responsibility on the part of the government to consult them on state-owned enterprises (SoEs) the CEB had been placed under the supervision of the Public Enterprises Department of the Finance Ministry. The official said that unilateral decisions couldn’t be taken.

The Public Enterprises Department and National Budget Department supervise SoEs.

Following the general election, President Dissanayake appointed Kumara Jayakody as the Energy Minister.

Ex-Minister Wijesekera said that those demanding a bonus should have first pushed the CEB to send its proposed tariff reduction proposal to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) soon after the presidential election. According to him, the proposal that had been prepared in the run up to the presidential election was held up on a directive issued by the Secretary to the Energy Ministry, Professor K.T.M. Udayanga Hemapala. Alleging that the NPP played politics with the issue, Wijesekera said as a result of the unnecessary delay caused by the Ministry, electricity consumers were deprived of the benefit of a drop in electricity tariffs in the last quarter of this year, Wijesekera said.

Referring to the ongoing exchange between the CEB and PUC over the delay in the implementation of the tariff revision, Wijesekera said that the General Secretary of the CEB Workers Union owed an explanation as to why the union didn’t take up this matter.

Wijesekera pointed out that the proposal that had been prepared by the CEB, after the presidential election, was rejected by the PUC and the latter granted two weeks extension for the submission of a fresh proposal.

The regulator has warned that failure on the part of the CEB to submit the revised tariff proposal by Dec. 06 would compel them to enforce the tariff revision clause under Bulk Supply Transaction Operational Guidelines.

Wijesekera alleged that the government trade union at the CEB was seeking to reverse the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government decision on bonus that should be largely based on a performance-based system.

The former Minister said that though the previous government managed to stabilize the economy, the country wasn’t out of the woods yet. Having accepted the Economic Transformation Bill, endorsed by the previous Parliament without a vote, the NPP couldn’t deviate from the IMF’s path, Wijesekera said.


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Govt. extends ban on LTTE

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3 hours ago

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2026/01/13

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The NPP government has issued a new extraordinary gazette renewing and extending Sri Lanka’s long-standing ban on the LTTE and several Tamil diaspora organisations and individuals, continuing to designate them as “terrorists”.

The gazette, published recently, replaces a previous gazette issued in May 2025 and reaffirmed the proscription of a wide range of Tamil political and advocacy bodies operating around the world, alongside dozens of named individuals. The government alleged both the organisations and individuals listed are involved in “terrorism-related activities”.

The organisations blacklisted by the Sri Lankan government include:

• Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)

• Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO)

• Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC)

• World Tamil Movement (WTM)

• Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam (TGTE)

• World Tamil Relief Fund (WTRF)

• National Council of Canadian Tamils (NCCT)

• Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO)

While the majority of the designations mirror those contained in the May 2025 gazette, the latest document updates identification details and addresses for a number of individuals and introduces at least one additional organisation to the list. All entries have been reissued under new reference numbers for 2026, though the underlying allegations and framing remain unchanged.

Successive governemnts have maintained a sweeping proscription regime against Tamil diaspora groups and individuals. A ban can make it a criminal offence for Sri Lankan citizens to maintain contact with these organisations or their members, severely restricting political engagement and stifling links between the diaspora and the Tamil homeland.

The original mass listings were introduced in 2014 under the administration of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Despite repeated outcry, subsequent governments have continued to uphold and renew the proscription regime, even after the Rajapaksas were voted out of power.

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Police obtain court order banning Wimal’s protest

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3 hours ago

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2026/01/13

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National Freedom Front (NFF) leader Wimal Weerawansa addresses a gathering outside the Education Ministry on Monday before launching a protest demanding the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya as Education Minister over the inclusion of a link to an adult content website in the Grade 06 English module. (Pic by Thushara Atapattu)

Police yesterday (12) obtained an injunction order from the Kaduwela Magistrate’s court against the protest launched by National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and former Minister Wimal Weerawansa opposite the Education Ministry, Isurupaya, at Battaramulla.

Police informed Weerawansa of the court order. In line with the court order, the police informed Weerawansa that the road near the Ministry should not be obstructed and that no sound amplification equipment be used while the GCE Advanced Level (A/L) examination is in progress. The examination, put off due to Cyclone Ditwah, recommenced yesterday.

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Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi expresses optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path to progres

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3 hours ago

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2026/01/13

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FM Herath with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath held productive discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi today (12/01), during the latter’s brief visit to Sri Lanka.

The meeting aimed at further strengthening bilateral engagement and advancing the Strategic Cooperative Partnership between the two countries. Both Ministers reaffirmed the longstanding friendship and time-tested cooperation between Sri Lanka and China rooted in centuries of exchanges and consolidated since the establishment of diplomatic relations seven decades ago. The discussion also focused on enhancing partnership in the areas of trade, investment, development cooperation and tourism.

Minister Herath extended deep appreciation to the Government and the people of China for the steadfast support extended to Sri Lanka following cyclone Ditwah and requested further support for the second phase of resettlement, relocation and rebuilding, particularly for the restoration of affected infrastructure including identified roads, railways and bridges that are vital to connectivity, economic recovery and daily lives of people. Minister Wang assured China’s fullest support for this initiative and expressed confidence that Sri Lanka will continue its rapid recovery under the leadership of President Anura Kumara Disanayaka. He also welcomed the people-centric policies of the Government and expressed optimism that Sri Lanka is on the right path toward fulfilling aspirations of its people.

Minister Herath expressed appreciation for China’s constructive role in international fora and reiterated Sri Lanka’s firm commitment to the One China Policy and China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Both Ministers also recalled the successful high level exchanges in the recent past, including visits of the President and the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka to China in 2025.

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