June 24 (IL) Even the unskilled employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) such as the gardeners are the lucky recipients of ‘princely salary packages’ starting from Rs. 20,000 a month following the 23% salary hike which will come into effect from August this year, informed sources said yesterday.
This latest lavish salary hike comes just after another extravagant salary hike last year which ranged around the 42% mark. “ The minimum salary an unskilled labourers will get at the CEB will be around Rs. 15,000/-, however this is without the over time (OT), so including OT and other allowance an unskilled labourer will get approximately Rs. 20,000,” the sources said.
While a minor employee such as a driver (who is recognized as a skilled labourer) will get a salary of around Rs. 20,000, this without the other allowances he is entitled to, and OT.
“But here is the shocking truth,” the source noted, adding that every employee in the CEB beginning from the unskilled labourer and going up to the General Manager gets a reimbursable Rs. 3500/- annually as specialist doctor’s consultation fees.
Plus he gets another Rs. 1500/- called ‘outdoor treatment’ a year, and the workers do not have to submit any bills to claim this Rs. 1500/-. While separately another Rs. 2500/- is granted annually for dental and eye care.
“For other tests such as blood tests and x-rays, the CEB grants Rs. 3000/-. If either the CEB employee or his immediate family or any other who has been cited as ‘dependents’ by the employee, is hospitalized, the CEB grants Rs. 35,000 a year. If the patient has to undergo any surgery, the limit doubles,” the source revealed.
There is also a scheme called the ‘extra-ordinary medical treatment’, this is basically for major surgeries such as bypass operations or kidney transplants, the CEB grants Rs. 700,000 per employee.
When queried whether this scheme restricts to only the executive staff of the Board the source stressed that, “when it comes to pay and other cash benefits the CEB does not discriminate between employees. So all these allowances, are granted to the most unskilled labourer and goes upto the most senior manager,” the source revealed.
