The Bank of Ceylon Employees Union has raised concerns over the government’s decision to sell 20% of the shares of both the Bank of Ceylon and People’s Bank. Channa Dissanayake, the president of the association, has emphasized that these banks, which are currently profitable, are being categorized as loss-making institutions.
Dissanayake highlighted that the Bank of Ceylon recorded a profit of 30 billion, and People’s Bank achieved 20 billion in profits last year. Additionally, these banks have reportedly contributed over 20 billion rupees in taxes to the government.
Furthermore, the association president expressed concerns about the government’s decision to prohibit successful collective agreements. As a response to these concerns, state bank officials working in the Western Province plan to hold a protest at Viharamahadevi Park on Saturday (02) against the sale of state banks shares.
Dissanayake emphasized that state banks belong to the people, not the government, and called for the protection of these valuable public assets.
