Contract labourers working in the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) and the Karnataka Electricity Supply Company Contract Labourers Association affiliated to the All-India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC) have demanded an end to the contract system and regularisation of their services.
K. Somashekar, President of KPTCL Contract Labourers Association, told presspersons in Kalaburagi city on Monday that the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (Gescom) has failed to regularise the service of contract labourers working for the last 10 years. He criticised the government for issuing a new notification to fill up the 1,840 vacant posts of junior station operators and junior lineman in Gescom, instead of regularising the services of existing contract labourers.
However, the Dharwad Bench of the Karnataka High Court has stayed the notification of the Gescom and the Kalaburagi Bench too has restricted the termination of contractual employees in Gescom till further orders, Mr. Somashekar added.
As many as 133 writ petitions were filed before the Kalaburagi bench and 96 writ petitions before the Dharwad bench seeking regularisation of the service of contract employees working in Gescom and KPTCL.
Mr. Somashekar said that the payment was due for most of the labourers for the past four months. At present, the junior station operators and lineman are paid Rs.5000 to Rs.6000 a month, but are made to work for more than 12 hours a day.(EOM)
