Contract labourers working at Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) staged a demonstration outside the plant in Shaktinagar, about 20 kms from here, on Wednesday demanding the regularisation of their services.
The labourers, led by RTPS Contract Labourers’ Association, affiliated to Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) alleged that Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) was continuing contract labour system in RTPS violating the State government order dated June 7, 2005.
“Based on the subcommittee of Karnataka State Contract Labour Advisory Board, the State government has abolished the contract labour system in RTPS. However, the order remained on paper as KPCL has continued the system till date,” they alleged.
According to the agitating labourers, more than half of the sanctioned posts in RTPS were laying vacant for years as the vacancies created by natural retirement, untimely death and voluntary retirement were not filled. They demanded the KPCL to fill the vacancies with the contract labourers who had been well experienced.
“Since the KPTCL has not maintained the records of contract labourers who have been working for decades in RTPS, many employees are deprived of service seniority. A committee with Trade Union president as one of the members should be constituted to identify such labourers. In case of death of a contract labourer on duty, a regular job should be provided to a member of his/her family,” they said.
Their demands included implementing the equal pay for equal work Act, giving priority to contract labourers in the fresh appointments, giving priority to local and Kannadigas in the recruitments, extending all facilities such as leaves, canteen, medical, retiring rooms, weekly off and others that regular employees enjoy to contract labourers, extending production and other incentives to contract labourers, providing transport facilities, providing employment card within three days of the commencement of project, payslip before 5th of every month and service certificate before April 10 of every year, allotting unoccupied labour quarters to contract labourers in accordance with the HR package and others.
The labourers warned that, if there is no positive response from KPCL about demands within a week, they would again agitate by wearing black bands. “If the government continues to ignore our demands, we will have to intensify our struggle,” T. Veerappa, general secretary of the Association said.
