A group of petroleum trade unionists met with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss their issues and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation’s move to send several employees and trade union members on compulsory leave for disrupting the fuel distribution process.

Following the meeting which lasted for nearly two hours this morning (April 01), the trade unionists said they were hopeful that the former Head of State would intervene to resolve the matter.

A strike action was launched by the petroleum trade unions earlier this week, in protest of the government’s alleged attempts to privatize the CPC and to hand over the fuel distribution activities in the country to foreign entities.

On March 29, Minister of Power & Energy Kanchana Wijesekera announced that the CPC management had decided to send on compulsory leave the petroleum trade union leaders and members, who hindered the fuel distribution activities the day before, exerted pressure on the employees who were working on fuel distribution duties and attempted to obstruct those services, as well as the workers who supported these union leaders.

Accordingly, a total of 20 trade unionists including several CPC and Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) employees were sent on compulsory leave and barred from entering both CPC and storage terminal premises.

It was reported that all trade unionists and petroleum employees who were sent on compulsory leave, except Petroleum General Employees’ Union president Ashoka Ranwala, met with the former President today.

Meanwhile, SLPP MP Gamini Lokuge also attended the said meeting.