Hyderabad: Telangana power utility department employees were asked to call off their strike and get back to their duties immediately as department officials warned of stringent action against those taking part in the indefinite strike announced by the Telangana Vidyut Employees Union on April 25 in support of six demands for artisans in power utilities.
Condemning the strike, TS TRANSCO and GENCO chairman and managing director D Prabhakar Rao said that according to the Telangana Essential Services Maintenance Act, strikes in all four power utilities have been prohibited for a period of six months from February 25.
He also warned that those participating in the strike would be held guilty as the act stands illegal this year.
Prabhakar Rao further held that the decision to strike despite a memorandum of settlement signed on April 15 by power utility managements and trade unions apart from an agreement signed on April 19 before the Joint Commissioner of Labour under the Industrial Disputes Act is against the rule.
Asking the employees to call off the strike and take charge of their duties, Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) chairman G Raghuma Reddy said that despite power utilities running in losses, chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao accepted the demands of the employees and provided a decent hike to artisans.
Telangana Vidyut Employees union proposed a strike on the revision of pay and allowances of employees, artisans and pensioners, implementation of GPF in place of EPF to employees recruited between February 1, 1999, and August 31, 2004, on a par with state government employees and several other issues related to employees and artisans.
Massive Dharna held on March 24
After a massive dharna carried out at Vidyut Soudha on March 24 which saw the participation of around 30,000 employees, the management invited unions for a round of talks on various demands.
However, by the end of the meeting, the management stuck to their earlier decision of offering a six percent hike in the salaries of electricity employees.
JAC leaders said that employees were disappointed over the stand of management on the pay revision commission, which has been pending since April 1 last year.
Finally, the emergency meeting landed a decision to go on strike from April 17 as negotiations between the management and TSPEJAC failed.
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