In a significant development, 62 employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) who were suspended due to their involvement in protests against the privatization of the CEB during the previous government have now been reinstated. The reinstatement includes compensation for the employees, marking a major shift under the new administration.
The employees were suspended in January after participating in a protest campaign organized by CEB trade unions. The protest was in response to alleged attempts by the previous government to privatize the CEB, which the unions opposed. While electricity is an essential service, the then Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera, had instructed officials to suspend those employees who were deemed responsible for disrupting the service by protesting and neglecting their work duties.
With the change in administration, Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody has overturned these suspensions. As part of the reversal, the suspended employees have been restored to their positions, their privileges have been reinstated, and any disciplinary transfers imposed earlier have been cancelled.
A ceremony was held on December 24 to officially hand over reinstatement letters to four of the employees. The event was attended by several key figures, including Minister Kumara Jayakody, General Secretary of the Lanka Electricity Workers’ Union Ranjan Jayalal, and representatives from various trade unions. The move is seen as a step toward healing relations between the government and the CEB unions and ensuring the rights of workers are respected under the new leadership.
