President tells CEB Chairman to step down: Unions

In response to the demand put forward by the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday directed CEB Chairman Udayasiri Kariyawasam to handover his resignation with immediate effect.
The President conveyed his decision to representatives of more than 14 CEB Unions including the Engineers Union when they met the President for discussions.

The Engineers Union media spokesman Athula Wanniarachchi said the President had however turned down a request by the CEB engineers to allow them to import duty-free vehicles, considering the present economic situation in Sri Lanka.

The Engineers said they would continue the work-to-rule campaign which had during the past few days interrupted power supplies to some areas as the engineers were following laid down procedures to the letter before attending to repairs.

The Unions are expected to meet today to discuss the situation and decide on a course of action to agitate for their demands.

Earlier Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne had vowed he would not yield to the Union’s main demand, which was for the removal of Mr. Kariyawasam from the post of CEB Chairman. Mr. Seneviratne taking a tough stand said it was solely the right of the Minister to either appoint or remove the Chairman and that the engineers had no say in it.