The first 50% of the compensation owed to former Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees who took voluntary retirement when the utility was dissolved will be paid by May 15, Minister of Ports, Civil Aviation and Energy Anura Karunathilaka told Parliament on Monday.
Responding to a question in the House, Karunathilaka said the compensation will be paid in two phases, with the first half drawn from Treasury funds and the remaining 50% to follow within a short period thereafter, Ada Derana reported. The Minister said a Cabinet paper authorising the payment has been submitted and is expected to receive approval within the coming week.
The announcement is the government’s first concrete payment timeline for the retirees since former CEB employees said in April that promised compensation had not been disbursed, more than a month after the CEB was formally dissolved on March 9 and split into successor entities under the IMF-backed sector restructuring.
Workers who accepted voluntary retirement packages during the transition had complained of severe financial hardship and lodged a formal complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, arguing that the non-payment violated their fundamental rights.
Karunathilaka, who took over the energy portfolio after the no-confidence motion that forced out Kumara Jayakody was followed by his eventual departure, has used parliamentary appearances since then to set timelines on long-running grievances inherited from the prior cabinet.
Source: First phase of VRS compensation for ex-CEB employees by May 15 — Minister, Ada Derana, May 5.
