The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees’ union has charged that nearly 2,200 employees who applied for the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) are facing severe hardship due to the continued delay in announcing the effective date of retirement.
The union said authorities had earlier indicated that the relevant date would be announced on the 1st of this month, with voluntary retirement scheduled to take effect from the 1st of next month. However, the announcement has been repeatedly postponed, causing uncertainty among applicants.
According to the union, the VRS was introduced for employees not absorbed into new companies following the restructuring of the CEB under the Sri Lanka Electricity Act (Amended) No. 36 of 2024 and the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2451/11 issued on August 26, 2025, by the Minister of Energy.
Nearly 2,200 employees have applied for the scheme, many of whom are planning to seek alternative employment, go abroad, or engage in business ventures. The ongoing delay, the union said, has prevented them from implementing these future plans.
The union has urged the Minister in charge to consider the issue in a humane and fair manner and to announce the VRS date without further delay, in the interest of the employees’ future well-being.
