Ranatunga seeks assistance to defeat “oil mafia” in the country

Petroleum Resources Development Minister Arjuna Ranatunga on Wednesday sought assistance to defeat an “oil mafia” he claims is operating in the country.

The Minister told petroleum employees that he is determined to defeat the system used by the oil mafia to make money.

“I need the assistance of the workers to do the right thing,” Ranatunga said at an event held to sign a collective agreement between the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and CPC trade unions.

The agreement was signed between the top management of CPC and the members of CPC trade unions in the presence of Minister Arjuna Ranatunga at the CPC.

The Managing Director of CPC, Professor Prasanna Perera signed the agreement on behalf of the CPC while representatives of several trade unions signed the agreement on behalf of their respective trade unions.

The mutual agreement was signed with the focus on removing the pay gap among grades, salary increment and increasing the executive allowances and security allowances.

“I won’t allow anyone to sell these institutions because my paramount focus is to protect public property. We should take our institutions to higher positions without making profits. We should concentrate on if to make these institutions profitable or run these institutions as public service institutions with less profits,” Ranatunga said. (Colombo Gazette)