Assam: 6,147 temporary workers in power sector!

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Fresh appointments of temporary workers in the APDCL (Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd.) have raked up the issue of the government not regularising the jobs of 6,147 temporary workers working in the APDCL, APGCL (Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd.), and AEGCL (Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Ltd.) for years together.

According to Assam State Outsource Power Workers’ Union (ASOPWU) sources, the 6,147 temporary power workers comprise technical assistants, bill clerks, meter readers, bill distributors, cooks, drivers, and others. Executive engineers and assistant engineers at the district and sub-divisional levels appointed most of these temporary workers. The Power Department issued a notification in 2018 to hold interviews for the regularization of jobs for temporary workers. However, the department has not conducted the interview even today. The department stopped short of regularizing the services of the temporary workers, even as the workers made representations to the Power Minister several times.

According to sources in the temporary workers’ union, the department was in the dark about the total number of temporary workers in APDCL, APGCL, and AEGCL. In 2021, the APDCL released two lists of temporary workers up to October 30, 2019. While the first list has 1,288 temporary workers, the second list has 228. The department then conducted a verification process and came out with a list of 6,147 temporary workers: 5233 in APDCL, 414 in APGCL, and 500 in AEGCL.

According to the union, temporary workers working for over ten years get Rs 17,000 per month, those working for five to less than ten years get Rs 14,000 per month, and those working for less than five years get Rs 12,000 per month.

The union is of the opinion that at a time when the government has not yet regularized the temporary workers of the APDCL, APGCL, and AEGCL, it does not augur well for the department to appoint more temporary workers. They demanded the government regularize the temporary workers in the power sector before appointing more temporary workers afresh. The union says that 80 percent of the workers in APDCL, APGCL, and AEGCL are temporary.

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