Electricity workers have decided to stage a protest today against the new Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill proposed by the government as part of the restructuring process of the electricity sector, including the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).

The protest will be held this afternoon opposite the CEB Head Office, with workers reporting sick leave to participate, according to the Ceylon Electricity Workers Union.

The Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill is scheduled to be presented to Parliament for its second reading on Thursday (24).

It has received approval from the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development.

However, the electricity workers claim that the government is attempting to privatize the Ceylon Electricity Board through the proposed bill.

To oppose the move, all CEB workers are expected to report sick leave and stage a protest in Colombo today, according to Prabath Priyantha, the General Secretary of the Ceylon Electricity Workers Union.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union has also announced its support for this protest campaign.

Issuing a statement, the union indicated that if the government fails to take steps to accept the proposed collective agreement submitted by CEB employees, they will be compelled to resort to trade union actions in the future.