Tangedco employees threaten to protest, seek pay scale revision

Chennai: After employees of transport department, other government department staff are now joining the chorus against the state government for delaying the pay scale revision, diversion of employee welfare funds and delay in recruitment of staff.

On Tuesday, it was the turn of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation employees to threaten a strike if their financial dues and 11th pay commission recommendations were not implemented.

Tension prevailed at the TNEB headquarters on Anna Salai with more than 1,000 electricity board employees jumping into a sit-in protest. The demonstrators raised slogans criticising the government for not treating the EB employees on par with those on the state payrolls.

“Pointing out that Tangedco is a loss-making corporation the state has been delaying the employee welfare initiatives and despite talks through trade unions there is no positive response from the government”, said a TNEB employee pointing out that the protest would intensify leading into power disruptions if the issues were not addressed.

The following tension at EB headquarters, police personnel was deployed on Tuesday evening to regulate traffic and the police warned that EB employees would be arrested if they continue to protest blocking roads.

It may be noted that government teachers and transport department employees have also warned the state that they would jump into indefinite strikes if the issues like the bonus, pay scale arrears, payments of pension funds were not settled by Pongal.