OHT Operators at the Panchayats in Tamil Nadu's Virudhunagar Block demand a wage hike
VIRUDHUNAGAR: The Overhead Tank (OHT) Operators belonging to 58 panchayats in the Virudhunagar Block filed a petition to District Collector V P Jeyaseelan on Monday, demanding a hike in their wages. In the petition filed, an OHT operator from Kalaperumalpatti village panchayat said the operators are being paid Rs 4,200 per month, which is insufficient for them to manage the expenses of their families.
"It would be possible for us to support our families if we are paid a minimum of Rs 250 per day. Some of the operators travel several kilometres from their houses to carry out their work, even during difficult situations such as heavy rains and power cuts," a worker said.
If it is not possible to hike their wages, the workers sought the collector to provide them with jobs under the MGNREGA scheme along with the existing job, to help them manage their expenses, the operators said. Sources said there are around 180 OHT operators in the panchayats in the Virudhunagar Block.
Official sources said the Dearness Allowance (DA) of `100 given to the workers, would be increased once in six months. Apart from that, the possibility of raising the workers' wages is based on the State Government order, the officials said.