Electricity has been declared an essential service through a gazette notice issued today.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued the gazette notice declaring the supply of electricity an essential service.
The President also declared all service, work or labour, of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be done in connection with the maintenance, and the reception, care feeding, and treatment, of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, and other similar institution an essential service.
There is a threat of a blackout as Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) trade unions announced the launch of trade union action today.
CEB engineers said that they will go on strike over 4 key demands.
The CEB Engineers Union said that one demand is to withdraw the proposed amendment to the Sri Lanka Electricity Act.
Meanwhile, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that CEB engineers union have discussed of a possible nation wide blackout in protest of the amendment.
“Unions which have deprived many of renewable energy, low cost power supply and the right to uninterrupted power supply is using the threat of protest to block much needed reforms,” he said in a tweet.
He said he hopes to get the necessary support for the amendments made to the CEB Act in Parliament, which will pave the way for quick approval and implementation of long delayed renewable power projects which will be vital for the power sector development and the economy. (Colombo Gazette)
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