Thousands of contract workers working for Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam limited went on strike from Tuesday against the upper echelons of the holding company for “harbouring wrong intentions” about regularising services of temporary workers and overlooking credentials of the contract workers in recruitment processes for various posts in the company.
As many as 4,500 employees including workers, junior engineers and others under the banner of three organisations—Electricity Supply Technical Workers Association, Technical Trainee Association and Technical Supply Association—shunned work to press for their demands by staging protest at different locations in the capital.
Notably, the massive stir has been organised as the holding company floated recruitment notice for 597 posts for Assistant Electrical Engineer, Assistant Executive Engineer, junior engineers, operators, line man and fitter for the three subsidiaries—Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam limited, Jharkhand Urja Sancharan Nigam limited, Jharkhand Urja Utpadan Nigam limited.
“We were recruited in the similar fashion about eight years back. Now we are being told to re-appear in the examination and compete with fresh candidates. Our meeting with the board has failed as the board did not honour its promise,” said the President of Technical Traniee Association, Aashish Kumar. He added, “this is wrong on the part of the department which inked deal for regularising our services twice however reneged on the promise despite framing service rules on two occasions.”
The associations alleged that the recruitment process is a way to get rid of workers to pave way for near and dear ones’ entry into the State Government owned entities. Talks of the office bearers of the associations with Chairman and Managing Director, SKG Rahate failed to address the fundamental disagreement and the various associations seem adamant on making the government yield to their demand.
“The Chairman told us to face the open competition however we wanted a departmental examination. We were told sarcastically that the competitive examination is for us only,” maintained Kumar.
On the other hand the, man-day workers staged protest outside the department’s office at Kusai Colony and refused to go back to work unless the recruitment notice is cancelled.
“We have reached agreement on nine occasions with the JUVNl but those agreements have not been implemented yet. We are being told that the recruitment notice has taken workers’ interests into consideration but that is just eyewash,” told president of Electricity Supply Technical Workers Association, Ajay Rai.Meanwhile, electricity supply was partially hit as frequent power cuts were reported in some areas including Morhabadi and Kanke Road.