The Ceylon Bank Employees’ Union (CBEU) has decided to resort to trade union action unless the government takes urgent action to redress bank employees’ grievances.
The central committee of the CBEU union is scheduled to meet today (26) and its branches in state banks will have seprate meetings to reach consensus on joint action, scheduled to commence on 01 July.
The CBEU made the announcement after meeting Dr. Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who is also the Minister in charge of the Finance portfolio.
Also present at the meeting were Director General (Legal) of the Presidential Secretariat, Attorney-at-Law J. M. Wijebandara, and Director General of Public Relations D. Gamage.
The CBEU said that the state banking sector had launched trade union action on 05 June this year to highlight developing trouble over the incentive and bonuses paid to state bank employees.
According to the CBEU, the largest trade union in the banking sector, the government had granted them Tuesday’s meeting in the wake of representations made to President Dissanayake on 12 and 19 June.
According to CBEU, during the nearly two hour discussion its representatives had with Secretary to the President, the following issues were raised: the future of HDFC bank, issues pertained to annual bonuses and incentives for employees of the Bank of Ceylon, People’s Bank and National Savings Bank, issues at the State Mortgage and Investment Bank and Regional Development Bank, problems caused by the Central Bank and the failure on the part of the government to implement Performance Indicator (KPI), with effect from January this year. The CBEU said that it had been introduced in the 2024-2026 collective agreement.
By Shamindra Ferdinando
