President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has held discussions with representatives of the engineers’ trade unions of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) this morning (12) at the Presidential Secretariat regarding the ongoing restructuring process of the Board.

During the meeting, the President emphasised that the primary objective of the restructuring initiative is to ensure the provision of a reliable, efficient and uninterrupted electricity supply to consumers at a fair and reasonable cost, while also safeguarding the country’s energy security through the continued maintenance of government ownership of the newly established companies, according to a statement.

He further reiterated that all rights currently enjoyed by employees of the CEB will be safeguarded within the new companies. 

In addition, discussions were held with trade union representatives on several longstanding issues that had remained unresolved during the period when the institution functioned as the CEB, the statement said.

The President also underscored the importance of maintaining constructive dialogue and mutual understanding between employees and the newly established companies during the period of transition, and stressed the need to establish a formal mechanism to facilitate such engagement.

He further called on trade union representatives to extend their cooperation to ensure the success of the restructuring process, noting that it will ultimately enable the provision of a better service to electricity consumers and contribute to strengthening the national economy, the statement added.