The Electricity Board Employees Union yesterday temporarily called off their protest campaign after the Cabinet decided to postpone yesterday's Cabinet meeting, where the proposal for restructuring the CEB was to be taken up.

Political sources said that two major proposals were to be taken up at yesterday's Cabinet meeting, but both these issues were said to be without the consent of the United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government's, main coalition partner, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).

EBEU (LVSS) General Secretary H. A. Ranjan Jayalal told The Island yesterday that they would continue with their protest campaign whenever the Cabinet takes up proposals for restructuring the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO).

He said that nearly six thousand workers took part in yesterday's protest campaign. However, he said that they were yet to be summoned for discussions on the government's latest moves.

He added that they would not allow the CEB to be broken into eight units under any circumstance.

"The World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund were pressurizing the government to go ahead with the restructuring", he added.

Power and Energy Minister Susil Premajayantha recently told The Island that under no circumstances would decisions to privatize the CEB be taken, but suggestions were welcome.

However, he said the CEB was running at a massive lost and its debt was running into billions.