Delay in wage revision talks: TNEB staff to protest on June 6

The Joint Action Committee of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board Employees Union has decided to hold a massive demonstration in front of the nine regional distribution offices in the state on June 6 in protest against the inordinate delay in holding the wage revision settlement negotiations.

The leaders of JAC comprising all the trade unions except DMK affiliated Labour Progressive Front met on Tuesday to decide on its next course of action over the delay in holding wage revision talks.

“We have decided to hold massive protests in front of the nine distribution regions’ offices in the state. There will be huge participation of the workers in all the regional head offices. On June 6, we will also announce the next course of action,” said the Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees (COTEE) president T Jaisankar.

The unions in the electricity board were unhappy over the delay even as the state transport undertakings, another loss-making PSUs, have almost finalised the wage settlement with their union representatives after multiple rounds of talks.

The wage revision settlement between the management and the unions would be signed every four years. The previous settlement expired on December 1, 2019, but to date, no talks were held with the unions.

Jaisankar said that the JAC also wanted the Tangedco to scrap the board proceeding dated April 12, 2022, as it snatched the rights enjoyed by the workers, engineers and officers in 23 different heads citing the financial constraints. “We also wanted to stop the redeployment of workers and fill up the vacancies which have resulted in the increased workload,” he said.