Mangalore: The members of Karnataka State Electricity Employees Union (KSEEU), Electricity Employees Federation of India with the support of CITU held a protest right in front of MESCOM’s office in the city on Tuesday, urging the authorities to provide a minimum salary of Rs 15,000/month to contract-based employees.
Vasanth Acharya, chief secretary of CITU said most of the contract-based employees have been working for MESCOM for more than ten years. But, they are formally considered as temporary workers. They have been denied facilities and contractors threaten them to remove from job. Acharya demanded to make them permanent and pay a minimum salary of Rs 15,000.
He also said when MESCOM calls for the appointment to vacant posts, at least 50 percent must be reserved for the existing contract-based employees. He asked the authority to provide PF and ESI facilities to these employees.
He said the protest is not a hasty decision. Since three years, we have held protests seven times. Not all our demands have been fulfilled. We approached the MESCOM authorities last month with the demands. But, it was of no use. That’s the reason, we are protesting’, Acharya said.
Both the congress and the BJP parties are protecting the interests of the corporates. There is always a price rise for basic commodities, petrol rates etc. however, the salary of the contract-based employees of MESCOM remain the same’, he lambasted.
