Striking contract employees warned

Hyderabad: As the strike enters the fourth day on Tuesday, power utilities cautioned contract workers not to engage in strikes as such acts will only attract termination of services. Demanding the regularisation of their jobs along with a few other demands, over 10,000 electricity contract employees are observing an indefinite strike. However, from the second day onwards itself, unions have been split over the decision of the strike as some unions favour the State Government. This has resulted in a drastic fall in number of workers who are on the warpath.

Led by Telangana Vidyut Karmika Sangham (TVKS), agitating contract workers staged dharnas and raised slogans in front of the Vidyut Soudha at Somajiguda here. TVKS has demanded for the implementation of EPF, ESI and minimum wages for all piece-rate workers in addition to regularizing contract workers.

Telangana Northern Power Discom (TSNPDCL) has issued an official notice asking its officials to terminate the services of contract and outsourced workers, if they are engaged in strike.

Ruling this possibility out, Telangana Vidyut Contract Employees Union (TVCEU) H-52 says over 80 per cent of the total contract employees are participating in the strike. On the other hand, managements of TS Genco, TS Transco, TSSPDCL and TSNPDCL claim that 75 per cent of workers are reporting to their duties.

S. Sridhar Goud, president, TVCEP H-52, said, “All the 23,000 contract employees working at TS Transco, TS Genco and two discoms are demanding regularisation of their services. Over 17,000 workers are participating in the strike. Our main demand is the regularisation of our services. Then, the State should file a counter petition in the High Court vacating the PIL on absorption of contract employees. The High Court has asked managements of power utilities to file additional counter petition. So far it is not done. Until the court process is over, pay scale promised in an order on July 29, 2017, should be implemented.”