Contract electricity employees in Andhra Pradesh urge government to pay honorarium on time

Employees of the Electricity Department in Vijayawada protest against the hiring of contract workers without providing them financial or health security.

Pointing out that the work in the Electricity Department involves many professional hazards, employees and workers part of the A.P. Vidyut Trade Unions Struggle Committee has said it is not right to hire people on contractual basis, which does not offer them financial or health security.

Staging a demonstration at Dharna Chowk in Vijayawada on February 12 (Monday), the committee general secretary V. Subbi Reddy said: “There are more than 25,000 contract employees working with the department in the State. Should something happen to them in the line of duty, their medical insurance cover, which is up to ₹5 lakh now, is not sufficient given the high cost of medical treatment these days and needs to be increased. The insurance of ₹10 lakh in the event of death also was achieved after years of struggle.”

The contract employees in the department are categorised as highly skilled, skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled and all of them receive different incomes not more than ₹25,000. Demanding equal pay for equal work, the leaders said despite working for many years, there have been no increments, promotions and that they are not eligible for welfare schemes too.

“In 2019 during his padayatra in Kadapa district, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy asked us to pray for his victory. Today, after we voted him to power, the Chief Minister has not only reneged on his promise of regularising our services but is also using police force to stop us from raising our voices,” he said, detailing how employees were detained in their places in a bid to prevent them from attending the scheduled programme.

The leaders demanded ₹10 lakh gratuity, payment of arrears from 2022, job security, among others. Remembering that they received their pay on the 9th last month, they urged the Chief Minister to at least pay their honorariums on time.

The leaders, highlighting their grievances, submitted a letter to Chairman/Managing Director of AP Transco seeking immediate redressal.