Addressing salary anomalies in CEB Implement recommendations of Marasinghe Commission: CEBTESU

• In 2003, the B.C. Perera Salary Commission was implemented. Subsequently, all salary issues  cropped up
• Due to the E-Grade scale, large scale salary anomalies have been created among the cadres of the CEB service grades

By Chaturanga Samarawickrama  

Ceylon Electricity Board Technological Engineers’ and Superintendent’ Union (CEBTESU) requested to conduct a proper job evaluation to establish services according to appropriate wage structure.   

CEBTESU Secretary Jayalal Athukorala told the Daily Mirror that the Marasinghe National Salaries and Cadres Commission should be applied to solve the issue as soon as possible.  
He said with the recommendations of the Marasinghe Commission, no salary ratio issue was raised.  
“In 2003, the B.C. Perera Salary Commission was implemented. Subsequently, all salary issues  cropped up. 
“In 2012, only the executive grade salaries have been revised with regard to the salary anomaly.However,in 2015, lower service grades at the CEB confronted issues with Engineering grades due to the illegal creation of a special salary structure for themselves as ‘E-Grade scale,” the union Secretary charged.  

He said due to the E-Grade scale, large scale salary anomalies have been created among the cadres of the CEB service grades.  

“As a result, the Ceylon Electricity Employees Union (CEEU), filed a lawsuit against the CEB Engineers for increasing their salary illegally.In 2019, the case became null and void and the Engineers lost the case,” he said.  
As a result of the legal action, the CEB did not have a procedure in place to pay the salaries, and subsequently the Marasinghe Salary and Cadre Commission was introduced by the previous Government, he said.  

“However, salaries of all CEB services should be increased in 2021 after a period of three years, but due to the present issues, no salary structure has been created as yet”, he added.  

• As a result of the legal action, the CEB did not have a procedure in place to pay the salaries