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CEB experienced staff in alarming exodus after inflation, taxes: Union
ECONOMYNEXT –State-run Ceylon Electricity Board is losing qualified engineers at an alarming rate, after a currency collapse and new progressive taxes slapped on the debased salary, and they are not coming back, union officials said.
Ceylon Electricity Board has a cadre of around 1,000 engineers but they have been usually managing with lower levels of around 900, they said.
Since 2022, about 150 have left the CEB for foreign countries, leading to serious gaps in some branches with engineering staff down to about 750, Dhanushka Parakramasinghe, President of the CEB Engineers Union told reporters in Colombo.
Sri Lanka’s rupee collapsed from 200 to 330 to the US dollar in 2022 after two years of money printed by macro-economists to target ‘potential output’ using ‘data driven’ monetary policy, followed by a float failure with a surrender rule.
About 105 engineers have resigned and about 54 have taken leave, Parakramasinghe said.Most have left with jobs already found.There have been reports that doctors who left the country are coming back.
“Engineers are not coming back,” Parakramasinghe said. “Some are coming back to resign. Some who left on leave having got PR, have sent resignation letters from abroad.”
Engineers are leaving for Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, to work in utilities and also the mining sector.
Sri Lanka’s coal power complex needs 96 staff and they are now down to 70, he said. CEB runs in shifts, round the clock.
Coal plant staff can easily get jobs in the mining sector in many countries including South Africa, where heavy machinery is in operation, he said.
“But our people usually like to go to Australia or Western European countries,” Parakramasinghe said.
Those who are leaving are offered jobs from 4,000 to 8,000 dollars based on experience and type of jobs, he said.
Engineers working in operations and maintenance (O & M) in transmission and generators are also in high demand abroad, the Union said.
An entry level engineer gets around 150,000 to 170,000 rupees, at the CEB. It works out to around 5 dollars a day. At the central bank, which debases money, office assistants were paid 186,000 according to disclosures made in parliament.
Sri Lanka’s progressive taxes under an International Monetary Fund program, apply from around 3 dollars a day (100,000 rupees) through pay-as-you-earn taxes.
On one side senior staff are retiring and the CEB is seeing a drain of middle level staff who have about 10 years of experience, who are next in line, the Union said.
CEB will have problems maintaining service if the staff go abroad at this level, Buddhika Wijayawardhana, joint secretary of the CEBEU said.There is also no incentive for young graduates to join the CEB under current conditions, he said.
Sri Lanka has some of the highest housing costs in the world, based on calculations done by reputed organizations, union officials said, and acquiring a house is now next to impossible. The same applied to a car.
Comparable living standards elsewhere was much higher. Salary was a key reason for people leaving.At one time low interest rates were given for staff for housing, which was now in doubt he said.
After Sri Lanka’s rupee was left without a credible monetary anchor from around 1978, Sri Lanka’s interest rates and inflation shot up for ordinary people but some private and state entities gave low interest rate loans to staff.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
