Police arrested 37 protesting contract workers from the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) on 24 January 2017 in Colombo claiming they had violated a court order banning demonstrations outside the building. The workers were released on Wednesday, after paying 100,000 rupees (USD 665) bail each.
Nearly 200 workers began protests 1 January to demand reinstatement. Employed as meter readers, they were terminated when they demanded permanent jobs after 180 days’ service. The CEB claimed that they had not completed the required 180-days’ service and were not eligible to be made permanent.