A special discussion was held yesterday (04) afternoon at the Ministry of Energy between the
\nMinister of Energy, Eng. Kumara Jayakody, and the trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board on
\nthe Electricity Amendment Act, which was presented to Parliament on 23 rd May 2025 and is
\nscheduled to be debated and passed in Parliament tomorrow (06.08.2025).<\/p>\n
While addressing the representatives of the trade unions, the Minister stated that the Electricity
\nAmendment Act has been introduced to carry out structural changes required by the power sector
\nwhich will enable it to face current challenges and future economic conditions, while also ensuring
\nstate ownership of the power sector in line with the energy policy of the NPP. He further mentioned
\nthat this would make it possible to reverse the CEB privatization plan initiated by the government
\nheaded by Ranil Wickramasinghe, and secure state ownership of the power sector.<\/p>\n
He further added that the process of introducing this act was carried out by allocating sufficient time
\nto raise awareness among CEB staff as much as possible and to obtain views and suggestions of all
\nstakeholders in the relevant field.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we have mentioned, we introduced this Amendment Act in good faith, in a manner that
\ndoes not violate privileges and rights of any current employee, while giving due consideration to
\nthe cases that have been filed and determinations granted in this regard. We also provided the
\ntrade unions with the opportunity to come up with their views in advance. A large number of
\ntrade unions participated and expressed their views. Trade unions who were unable to attend
\non that day are present with us today. We appreciate that. We are a people-centric government.
\nWe will not make any decisions that are harmful to this country and its working people.
\nTherefore, we kindly request the trade unions and all employees to understand the value and
\nnecessity of this Bill, and provide their support accordingly\u201d he expressed.<\/p>\n
Sharing their views, the trade union representatives appreciated the opportunity to share their views
\nonce again, and stated that they believe the Minister would also acknowledge that, as responsible
\ntrade unions, standing up for the rights and privileges of employees is a crucial responsibility.
\nSubmitting several proposals in writing which are collectively agreed by all trade unions, they
\nemphasized that, as trade unions, they do not want any programs that would reverse the progress of
\nthe power sector or hinder the development activities of the government. They also expressed their
\nreadiness to respond positively to this Bill, provided that rights and privileges of employees are
\nsecured and progress of the power sector is ensured.<\/p>\n
The Director General of the Power Sector Reforms Secretariat, Mr. Pubudu Niroshan and several
\ntrade union representatives participated in this event.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A special discussion was held yesterday (04) afternoon at the Ministry of Energy between the Minister of Energy, Eng. Kumara Jayakody, and the trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board on the Electricity Amendment Act, which was presented to Parliament on 23 rd May 2025 and is scheduled to be debated and passed in Parliament…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":400000,"featured_media":16651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16740","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n