HYDERABAD:Civil rights activist and retired professor of Central University Prof G Haragopal filed a public interest litigation petition in the Hyderabad High Court seeking regularization of services of about 2,500 contract employees working for the past several years in Telangana Genco, Transco and Discoms. He challenged the inaction of the authorities in implementation of equal work to equal remuneration.
The petitioner pointed out that discrimination is being shown between contract employees and those in permanent posts with respect to payment of wages and other subject matters of electricity companies in Telangana state. Although the contract employees were working on par with the regular employees, the former were being paid Rs 13,894 per month, whereas the latter were paid Rs Rs 63,000 per month. The companies by fixing meagre salaries to the contract employees, are violating Section 4 of the Equal Work to Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 and Rule 25 (V) (A) of the Contract Labor (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1971, he added.
He submitted that these contract employees have been working in both the corporations and its subsidiaries for the past several decades in the core activity of substations and power generation stations.
Referring to the representations made to the government by the Employees’ Unions, Prof Haragopal said that the earlier state government had issued a GO in 2011 by declaring the working conditions of these contract employees as core activity. In spite of declaration that they are working in the core activity, the respondent authorities have deliberately not regularised their services and also failed to pay the wages in accordance with the Act, he pointed out.
He urged the court to declare the action of the respondents as illegal. The PIL matter is expected to come up for hearing on Monday.