Sri Lanka’s power sector is on the brink of chaos as CEB trade unions warn of the largest strike in history unless the government addresses their demands.
If the government fails to respond satisfactorily to the demands of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees, the biggest strike in history will be inevitable, warned Kosala Abeysinghe, Chairman of the CEB Technicians Association. He stressed that if such a strike takes place, the people themselves must take full responsibility for the inconvenience and economic damage that could follow.
Abeysinghe accused the government of adopting a reckless approach despite having multiple opportunities to resolve the crisis. He added that the government’s silence has only escalated tensions. Since there has been no response to the union’s ongoing “work-to-rule” trade union action, some services scheduled for this weekend are already expected to face disruption.
The union leader also pointed out that the CEB has shown willingness to increase electricity tariffs by citing employee demands, but insisted that workers have never requested a tariff hike. Instead, he clarified that the electricity trade unions are firmly against any further tariff increases that would burden the public.
As the standoff continues, Sri Lanka risks plunging into unprecedented power struggles, with the threat of a historic strike looming large.
