Hyderabad: Labour department officials held a meeting with the TS Electricity Employee Unions Front regarding their pending demands including regularisation of artisan services. Officials asked the union for a fortnight to study the matter.
Front general secretary E. Sridhar said, “We told them that employees are working from 10 to 16 years but don’t get their rights of increment, leave and dearness allowance. We will wait for 15 days and if the department fails to keep its promise we will take strong action.”
A union member said, “There are almost 23,000 artisans. The department has been trying to manipulate the artisans by luring them with its promises for two years. The court has given a green signal to regularise the services of the artisans but the electricity department is ignoring us.”
Earlier 12,000 of electricity contract employees had called for a strike and stopped work after which Northern Power Distribution Company had issued notice to terminate the services of contract and outsourced workers.
On being asked about the pending demands, TS Genco and Transco chairman and managing director D. Prabhakar Rao said, “We are waiting for the report from the labour department.”
