Bank Union restrained

Sandasen Marasinghe

Colombo District Judge Sampath Wijeratne Friday issued enjoining order restraining the Seylan Bank Employees Union (SBEU) from preventing six of its members attending and voting at the Annual General Meeting to be held on July 12, 2009 and removing them from its membership.

The Court issued the orders following six SBEU members, M.M.A Sisira Kumara of Pannipitiya, P.S. Senaratne of Colombo 05, A.A.D. Lalitha Ravindra of Ethulkotte, M.R. Samarasekara of Nugegoda and D. P. Kingsly Ramanayake of Kelaniya and W. W. A. Sujith Chaminda of Athurugiriya filed separate plaints before the Court alleging that they were removed from the SBEU arbitrarily.

The defendants stated that they were employees of the Seylan Bank PLC and members of the SBEU.

The plaintiffs stated that the then Vice President of SBEU Mahinda Jayaweera at the Annual General Meeting on July 20 2008 requested the SBEU members to obtain membership of the Ceylon Bank Employees Union (CBEU) due to the obvious advantages that employees would gain from being part of a larger bank employees union which consisted of a membership of 25,000.

The plaintiffs stated that they obtained the CBEU membership in July 2008. But on July 7, 2009 it was stated that the Management Committee of the SBEU had unanimously resolved every member who engaged in acts which were against the interest of the SBEU would be expelled from the union. He received a letter of removal from membership of the SBEU on July 8, 2009 even without a charge sheet.

The plaintiffs prayed before Court to issue enjoining orders restraining the SBEU from preventing six of its members attending and voting at the Annual General Meeting on July 12, 2009 and removing them from its membership.

The Court also issued a notice of interim injunction returnable on July 24. Attorneys Farman Cassim, Sujeewa Senasinghe and Saman Suraweera instructed by Integrated Associates appeared for the plaintiffs.