News

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

Published

2 years ago

2024/11/28

Sahan Weerasooriya

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.

All News Advertisement

News

Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

14 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

14 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

14 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.