Minister and Deputy recruiting through backdoor

CEYPETCO Ceylon Petroleum Corporation

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Common Workers’ Union accuses that, Minister of Petroleum and Petroleum Gases Chandima Weerakkody and Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage are involved in holding interviews these days to recruit 150 of their close associates sans a proper procedure of recruitment, to Sri Lanka Petroleum Storage Terminal Limited.

If the minister and the deputy minister are recruiting employees according to their private requirements without following a proper procedure of recruitment with qualifications, the CPC, Common Workers’ Union Chairman Asoka Ranwala said they have decided to lodge a complaint with the Bribery and Corruption Commission against the misuse of public property in this manner.

Explaining further to Ceylon Today, Ranwala said, “We got to know that 150 persons whom the minister and his deputy minister wanted recruited to Sri Lanka Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited had been summoned for interviews on 17 February. We expressed our opposition to this and engaged in a big protest. At that juncture, Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage told us that a quota will be provided to unions as well. We do not need quotas. What we are saying is that employees to the CPC should be recruited with suitable qualifications subsequent to setting up a formal recruitment procedure and a formal promotions procedure. Employees cannot be recruited outside of that.”

He also said they were not opposed to being provided with a quota for the children of employees of CPC who possessed relevant qualifications if qualified persons are recruited after publishing advertisements in the newspaper and subsequent to preparing a formal recruitment procedure. Anyhow, Chairman of Sri Lanka Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited Shehan Seneviratne replying to an inquiry we made said employees belonging to all categories who possess qualifications will be recruited through paper advertisements and interviews.

He also said the cadre has been approved by the Board of Directors of Sri Lanka Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited, as of now. He said further, “We will recruit employees to every category that is non-labour through newspaper advertisements. Therefore every category such as children of parents who have worked at CPC as well as children of parents who are deceased after working at the CPC will be given an opportunity.” Our attempt to speak to Minister Chandima Weerakkody and Deputy Minister Anoma Gamage on this matter proved unsuccessful.

(Source: Ceylon Today – By NIRANJALA ARIYAWANSHA)