Electricity Trade Union Action Called Off

13-Mar-2026

.

Employees belonging to the electricity trade unions who had engaged in a work boycott have called off their trade union action following discussions held with the Labour Commissioner and the heads of the newly established electricity companies.

The protest was withdrawn after the Labour Commissioner assured the unions that permission would be arranged for them to hold discussions with the President regarding their demands.

A section of employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board had launched the boycott from March 9 in protest against the restructuring of the board. 

During the protest they refrained from performing duties including emergency power connections and the restoration of electricity supply disruptions.

As a result, more than 15,000 power interruptions were reported across several parts of the country over the past two days.

Amid this situation, a special discussion involving the heads of the newly established electricity companies and the Labour Commissioner was held on March 11 at the Ministry of Labour.

During the meeting, the heads of the new electricity companies stated that 62 out of the 64 demands presented by the trade unions had already been addressed. They added that the remaining issues would need to be discussed with the President to reach a resolution.

Accordingly, the unions decided to call off their protest following the Labour Commissioner’s assurance that arrangements would be made for them to meet the President on March 12 to discuss the outstanding demands.