Egalitarian principles are applied in a warped manner for the contract/outsourced employees working in the Telangana State power utilities. The doctrine of ‘equal pay for equal work’ manifests itself in same payment for an employee of over 20 years of experience, and a rookie!
The outsourced employees in power utilities are entitled to Rs.8,079 each per month across the board, which itself is an enhanced figure after protracted struggles over years. This is the monthly pay for every outsourced employee irrespective of the years put in.
Surprising enough, the power utilities including TSGenco, TSTransco, TSSPDCL and TSNPDCL change the contractors every year duly going through the bidding process, yet the workers remain the same. The contractors’ job is thus effectively limited to receiving payment and distributing it after taking his cut.
“It is precisely this practice we are agitating against. Contractors do next to nothing. Many are not even located in the area of work. By doing away with contractors, the companies will save a lot on commissions,” points out S. Sridhar Goud, member of the Telangana Electricity Contract Employees’ JAC.
The JAC is agitating for the past nine days, with direct payment of salaries and regularisation of contract workers as its major demands. Police were deployed to disrupt the protests, inciting a member S. Sailu, to go on hunger strike for the past four days at his residence near Nagole. A rally was conducted by the contract workers on Tuesday, from Nagole to L.B. Nagar.
The four utilities employ over 22,000 contract workers, all through third party contractors. They are not willing to pay directly to employees, owing to the ensuing legal hassles, says K. Eswara Rao from the United Electricity Employees Union affiliated to CITU.
“As per the Industrial Disputes Act, contract employees working for 240 days in the same company should be regularised. But the Contract Labour Act facilitates third party contracts, without any provision for regularisation,” Mr. Rao explains. There are workers with 20-plus years of experience, yet not regularised.
Mr. Goud alleges unholy nexus between contractors and engineers, with those questioning targeted by both.
“Contractors resort to illegal practices, confiscating employees’ ATM cards, and taking cuts from their salaries. Though there are mandatory provisions for provident fund and ESI, they hardly ever pay them. Many have not paid even accident insurance this year,” Mr. Goud claims.
Nevertheless, it is contract workers who are given the most hazardous jobs such as climbing electric poles and dealing with repair works. Several workers were electrocuted over the years, yet their families received only paltry compensation from the utilities, he says.
