Chennai: The Supreme Court’s landmark judgement on “equal pay for equal work” to daily wagers, casual and contract workers may not help thousands of contract labourers in Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation as the utility continues to deny the existence of such workers, says trade unions.
Despite several campaigns by trade unions seeking regularisation of thousands of contract labourers working in the utility, Tangedco continues to deny the very existence of contract labourers.
“We had given a list of 11,896 contract labourers working thermal and hydro power stations, distribution and general construction circles across the state seeking their regularisation. Even during this year’s Deepavali festival, Tangedco announced exgratia of '4,000 each for 18 contract workers only,” S. Subramaniyan, general secretary of Central Organsation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees told DC.
“We gave this list to Tangedco administration six months ago seeking regularisation of their jobs. We asked them to form a committee comprising officials and the trade union leaders to verify the list and to identify the contract workers. But no action was taken on it,” he said.
Three contract workers — M. Arumugham, K. Murugaperumal and R. Vignesh — in Tuticorin Thermal Power Station were killed in a boiler blast on October 16.
“These three workers were not among the 18 contract workers recognised by Tangedco. This exposes the false claim of the corporation,” he said.
Though it is very clear that contract or temporary workers should not be engaged to do perennial jobs, such workers are engaged by Tangedco in violation of the established norms, the leader said.
When asked, a senior Tangedco official said the utility as a matter of policy has stopped engaging contract labourers. “At times, the contractors while executing some works engage their own contract workers. They are not technically engaged by Tangedco,” the official said.
