27 October 2021 05:33 pm Views - 7005
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) United Trade Union Alliance today warned that there would be trade union action on November 3 similar to the 72-hour trade union action experienced in 1996.
The Trade Union Alliance Convener Ranjan Jayalal told the Daily Mirror that trade union action will be launched against the government's deal to transfer shares of the Yugadanavi LNG Power Plant in Keralawalapitiya to a US-based company and handing over the monopoly on bringing and distributing LNG to a private company without tender procedures.
We have not yet decided the date of the strike, but prior to it, a two-day protest has already been announced.
Accordingly, an island-wide protest will be staged on Friday (29) and decided to sign a petition against the said demands.
Then we decided to gather all CEB employees in Colombo on Saturday (30) and from there we would decide our next course of action. In 1996, the CEB trade union launched a 72-hour strike.
The trade union action had resulted in a nationwide power outage at the time. After the decision on Saturday, our trade union action might be similar to the one in 1996, Mr. Jayalal added. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)