Members of Andhra Rashtra Power Employees’ Union (affiliated to BMS), contract and casual workers of APEPDCL staged a dharna at the discom’s corporate office on Wednesday demanding regularisation of casual and contract workers.
Gate meeting
Addressing a gate meeting, K. Bhavani Shankarudu of BMS said that AP Transco, AP Genco and the two discoms – the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) and the AP Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) -- should go ahead with the long-pending demand of regularising about 22,000 contract workers, working under various grades in different sections.
He also demanded that the contract and casual workers be paid on par with regular employees.
He pointed out that a regularised computer operator gets around Rs. 40,000, while a contract worker is paid only about Rs. 7,500. “The minimum wages for the lowest cadre should be fixed at a minimum slab rate of Rs. 15,000 and workers should be paid gratuity as per the Gratuity Act,” he said.
M. Jagadeeswara Rao, all India vice-president of BMS, in his address said that GO. No. 5, which says that shift operators at sub-stations be treated as core activity and brought under the fold of APEPDCL, should be implemented, and amount due from 2012 towards earned leave and paid holidays be paid immediately.
BMS district president G. Sriramulu and general secretary A.V. Atchaiah Babu and others were present.
Dharna staged in front of the APEPDCL office in support of the union’s long-pending demands
