President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issuing an extra ordinary gazette notification, has declared the supply of electricity as an essential service. The gazette was issued following the unsuccessful discussions between Power & Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara and Electricity unions. The Electricity trade union including CEB engineers declared a strike action from 12.00 noon midnight today.
Meanwhile, 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 have also been declared as essential service.
President of CEB Engineers Union Anil Ranjith said that since all the sectors of CEB have decided to strike from midnight the total system would defunct eventually. He speculated about the consequences and said as the entire CEB staff accompany to the trade union action, each and every sector including telecommunications, Hospital functions,Port, Air port will hamper without uninterrupted electricity.
