Live
- Exhilarating ‘Benchmark’ of Venkat Changavalli
- Development activities worth `30 cr launched in Puthalapattu constituency
- Allegations against KTR baseless: BRS leader
- Megastar Chiranjeevi to Visit Allu Arjun’s Residence at 12 PM Today
- Nilima Rane: Trailblazer in Nursing
- Casual yet stylish office outfits for all-day comfort
- TTD to suspend all special darshans from January 10 to 19 amid Vaikuntha dwara darshans
- Naidu pats TDP leaders, cadres for enrolling 73L members
- Rupali Ganguly says for 20 years she never got an award
- Advanced anti-drone systems deployed for devotees’ safety at Mahakumbh
Equal pay for equal work accepted in power utilities
The contract and outsourced employees of the power utilities would now get salaries directly into their bank accounts. They would also get salaries on par with the regular employees working in the same posts as the power utilities have decided to implement equal salary to equal work policy.
The coordination committee of power utilities companies agreed to pay salaries to contract and outsourced employees on par with regular staff. It is also agreed to make salary payments directly to employees. Guidelines were issued in this regard
Hyderabad: The contract and outsourced employees of the power utilities would now get salaries directly into their bank accounts. They would also get salaries on par with the regular employees working in the same posts as the power utilities have decided to implement equal salary to equal work policy.
Besides the hike in the salaries, the outsourced employees will be given Rs 1000 incentive per month as desired by the Chief Minister. The High Court has also supported the government’s view. The State government’s decision to treat the 23,000 outsourcing employees as skilled workers was challenged in the court by some petitioners.
The High Court, in its interim orders, instructed that the salaries be paid by the government without the involvement of contract agencies. The electricity officials have finalised the guidelines based on the suggestions given by Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, official sources told The Hans India.
This, the officials said, will ensure that the outsourcing employees get a better deal. Members of the Coordination Committee of the Electricity Organisations including TS Genco, Transco CMD D Prabhakar Rao, Transco JMD Srinivas Rao, SPDCL CMD Raghuma Reddy and NPDCL CMD Gopal Rao accepted the guidelines.
Coordination committee chairman Prabhakar Rao said that keeping in view the fact that the outsourcing employees have been working for several years with low salaries, the committee has taken decision on humanitarian considerations. However, these decisions will be subject to the High Court’s final verdict. He said now on wards, the outsourcing employees will have the same respect as the regular employees and they will get salaries more than the Minimum Wages Act.
As per the guidelines, the outsourcing employees are divided into four categories. Grade 1 includes highly skilled (engineering and diploma holders), Grade 2 includes skilled (with degree), Grade 3 includes semi skilled (with Intermediate as basic qualification) and Grade 4 includes unskilled (with 10th class qualification).
The salaries are increased from Rs 2,215 to Rs 2, 500 and they will be paid from July 29. PF and ESI will be part of the salary. With this hike, the salaries of Grade 1 employees would rise from Rs 20,785 to Rs 23,000; Grade 2 employees from Rs 16, 663 to Rs 19,000; Grade 3 employees from Rs 13, 576 to Rs 16,000 and of Grade 4 employees from Rs 11,500 to Rs 14,000.
As on date, the number of employees working in the power utilities is 25,540. With the decision to treat outsourcing employees as skilled workers, another 23,000 are added to this number. Exercise is going on to recruit 13,000 more and with this the employees’ strength will reach 62,000 and pensioners to 19,000.
By N M Satheesh
