News

Power sector reforms jolted by 40% pay hike demand

Published

4 weeks ago

2026/03/12

Nusith Kumaratunga

The government’s sweeping electricity sector restructuring programme ran into fresh turbulence yesterday, with authorities warning that meeting a 40 percent salary increase, demanded by striking power sector unions, could push electricity tariffs up by nearly 100 percent.

Chairman of the National Transmission Network Service Provider (NTNSP), Nusith Kumaratunga, issuing the warning at a media briefing, said the additional salary burden would significantly escalate operating costs in the newly formed power sector companies.

According to Kumaratunga, granting the 40 percent salary increase would raise the monthly wage bill by about Rs. 1.8 billion, amounting to nearly Rs. 22 billion annually, placing enormous pressure on the already fragile financial position of the electricity sector.

“If that additional burden is passed on to consumers, electricity tariffs may have to increase by close to 100 percent,” he said.

The briefing was organised by the management of the successor companies created following the restructuring of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

Kumaratunga said electricity sector trade unions had presented 64 demands in the wake of the restructuring exercise.

“Out of the 64 demands, 62 have already been agreed to,

while the remaining two have been referred to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for discussion,” he said.

He explained that the majority of the demands related to the continuation of privileges previously enjoyed by employees under the CEB structure.

“During the initial round of discussions itself, the boards of directors agreed to 59 of those demands,” he noted.

Among the concessions already granted was the continuation of bonus payments, similar to those previously paid by the CEB, at least temporarily, until a performance-based incentive system is introduced.

The management had also agreed to grant an allowance of Rs. 11,000, in addition to the existing cost-of-living allowance, bringing the average additional monthly benefit to around Rs. 17,000 per employee, he said.

Kumaratunga stressed that management had approved all demands that could be granted at the ministerial level.

However, he said the proposed 40 percent salary increase would be difficult to justify, particularly at a time when other segments of the public service were not receiving similar benefits.

He also revealed that unions had requested that a 25 percent salary adjustment, granted to senior executives in 2024, be extended to all employees, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2024.

Granting such a request would require amending an existing Cabinet decision, which the boards of directors of the newly established companies do not have the authority to do, Kumaratunga explained.

He pointed out that the newly created electricity sector companies had only commenced operations on Monday, and their work had already been disrupted by the ongoing trade union action.

“It is difficult to understand why the strike continues when the vast majority of demands have already been addressed,” he said.

However, the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union clarified that the 40 percent salary increase was not their primary demand.

Union representatives said that the electricity sector employees were originally due for a salary revision in January 2027, but the ongoing restructuring had raised concerns that the scheduled increase might not materialise.

“That is why we requested at least a reasonable percentage increase in order to secure some form of salary revision,” a senior electrical engineer said.

The dispute comes at a critical moment as the government presses ahead with the unbundling of the CEB into separate generation, transmission and distribution entities, a reform programme, officials say, is aimed at improving efficiency and attracting investment to Sri Lanka’s troubled power sector.

However, the restructuring has been strongly opposed by trade unions, which argue that the reforms could undermine employee security and weaken state control over a strategic national utility.

With industrial action continuing and tariff hikes looming as a possibility, the confrontation between the government and electricity sector unions appears set to intensify in the coming days.

By Ifham Nizam

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PM on inspection tour of newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand

Published

10 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

The Colombo Central Bus Stand, which has a history of over six decades and had remained without a proper maintenance for many years, has now been renovated under the current government’s development programme and vested to the public. Following that, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection tour of the newly renovated Colombo Central Bus Stand.

Originally constructed in 1964, the bus stand was refurbished with modern facilities to meet current needs and was officially reopened to the public on April 8. The primary objective of this initiative is to provide passengers with a higher-quality and more comfortable transportation service.

During the renovation process, special attention has been given to the comfort and safety of women, which was commended by the Prime Minister. In particular, a modern rest area designed to ensure privacy for nursing mothers travelling from distant areas received special praise.

The Prime Minister also reviewed the newly introduced passenger seat reservation system and information services established to assist commuters. In addition, the modern surveillance unit and other security measures installed within the premises to ensure passenger safety were also inspected.

During the visit, the Prime Minister engaged in conversations with passengers at the bus stand and inquired about their views on the newly renovated facilities and the quality of transport services.

It was emphasized that the government’s objective is to transform public transportation into a safe, technologically advanced service that can be used with convenience by all citizens.

(Prime Minister’s Media Division)

Latest News

Sun directly overhead Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon today (10)

Published

11 hours ago

2026/04/10

Priyan

On the apparent northward relative motion of the sun, it is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from the 05th to 15th of April in this year.

The nearest areas of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (10th) are Nagawilluwa, Galgamuwa, Sigiriya, Palugasdamana and Mankerni about 12:11 noon.

News

Opposition tells Minister Kumara Jayakody to resign

Published

12 hours ago

2026/04/10

Thilina Walpola

Prof. Peiris

No-faith motion to be taken up today

Former Foreign Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris yesterday (9) said that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake should remove Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody unless the minister stepped down on his own.Prof. Peiris, addressing a press conference called by the Opposition, said that Jayakody couldn’t under any circumstance continue to serve as a minister after the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) moved the Colombo High Court against the government member over a previous financial scandal.

Pointing out that Minister Jayakody had been indicted of a corrupt deal struck during the yahapalana regime, Prof. Peiris said it was wrong for the NPP to retain him as a minister, claiming that the offence was not committed during his tenure as a Cabinet minister in the current government.

Prof. Peiris and several other Opposition members dealt with the No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against Jayakody that would be taken up today (10) with the academic calling the vote an acid test for the NPP. Having campaigned on an anti-corruption platform at presidential and parliamentary polls, the NPP couldn’t protect Jayakody though he was widely believed to be close to President Dissanayake.

As the Manager of the Procurement and Import Division of the Ceylon Fertilizer Company, Jayakody is alleged to have committed the offence of corruption, according to CIABOC.

Jayakody has been accused of causing a loss of Rs. 8,859,708 to the State by influencing and exploiting the procurement process.

Following the serving of indictments on 27 March, the judge ordered Jayakody’s release on two personal bail bonds of Rs. 1 million each. The court directed that the defendant’s fingerprints be obtained and a formal report be submitted. The case has been scheduled for a pre-trial conference on 6 May.

Prof. Peiris stressed that the CIABOC action against Jayakody is central to the NCM primarily moved over the irregularities ridden coal procurement process launched in 2025 that caused severe disruption to the power generation. Responding to The Island query after the media briefing, Prof Peiris expressed surprise that the JVP/NPP accommodated a person under investigation by the CIABOC. Having taken an utterly irresponsible decision, the JVP/NPP were now playing down the developing issue, prof. Peiris said.

The entire government parliamentary group faced the prospect of having its image tarnished by defending Jayakody, the former lawmaker said.

Prof. Peiris said that they intended to build a campaign around the issues involving the energy minister to expose the government. With yet another electricity tariff hike in the offing due to the growing demand for thermal generation as a result of coal-fired Lakvijaya power plant’s failure to meet the requirement[RA1] , the energy minister and ministry’s performances have to be examined, Prof. Peiris said.The timely release of the Auditor General’s report on controversial coal procurement should compel the government to decide on the energy minister’s fate or be prepared to face the fallout.

By Shamindra Ferdinando