CEB attempts go ahead with salary scale abolished by the Court of Appeal

COLOMBO (News 1st): On the 9th of this month, Action TV spoke of a possible attempt to put forward a cabinet paper, based on the wants of a group of engineers of the CEB, going against a court order. The requirement of the said group of engineers is to maintain a salary structure or scale, that has been abolished. The questionable salary scale was created on January 8th, 2015, the day the Presidential election was held. At present, however, this salary scale has been abolished by the Court of Appeal. The decision regarding this was delivered by the Court of the Appeal on April 2nd. What should have been done by the CEB in this instance, was to reclaim the salaries that were granted under the abolished, fake salary scale from January 8, 2015, until April 2nd, 2019. The CEB which did not take this step is now providing an allowance to the said group of engineers instead of granting them a salary, since April. At a CEB board meeting held on the 3rd, it was decided that the salary scale that was abolished by the court should be continued, in place of granting an allowance. The board uses a set of directives issued by the attorney general, regarding this case, to reach this particular decision. In this advice provided by the Attorney General, though it is stated that a cabinet paper should be submitted seeking approval for the payment of salaries, it does not say that the salary scale that has been abolished or cancelled by the Court should be brought back. Against this backdrop, the subject minister sent this memorandum before the cabinet of ministers, which seeks approval for the same salary scale to be put in place once again until the year 2021. Attorney at law Premanath C. Dolawatta speaking on the matter said that if the engineers need a new salary scale that a new one should be created. He further continued to say that if the cabinet is attempting to bring back a salary scale that has been abolished by the judiciary, that this is a situation where the judiciary is being humiliated by the cabinet. The lawyer continued to say that this government of good governance which said it would respect the judiciary and said that it would make the judiciary independent are now trying to do something that would bring back a salary scale that has been cancelled. He added that all this is done for their wants to be fulfilled and to take control of the trade unions which is wrong.