Power Staff Protest Anti-Worker Policy; Threaten To Hold 15 Day Work Stir Wearing Back Badge

Bhubaneswar: Electricity employees under the banner of Odisha Bidyut Shramik Kaemachari SAngha Milita Mancha (OBSKSMM) staged demonstrations in front of Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) in the state capital on Monday in protest against the alleging government’s anti-worker policy.

The employees of OPTCL alleged that the promises of regularisation and higher minimum wages are yet to be fulfilled and the purpose of the agitation is to draw the attention of the state government and the concerned ministers.

“ITI degree holder staff in this sector are too much workaholic but at every point of their development has been neglected by OPTCL. We had demanded to give us an equi-position concerning the Odisha government’s grade pay rule. However we have been betrayed every time,” said a protesting employeeWe demanded

“Our demand was to promote ITI staffs with their grade pays as per Odisha government rules. We demanded OPTCL that the Technician C grade pay should be Rs 2830 while B and A group employees are Rs 4200 and Rs 4600 respectively and OPTCL had also promised us to make it on paper. But in vain. We, ITI Technicians are always becoming scapegoats of the board,” he added.

Meanwhile, the protesting employees have threatened that they will launch a 15-day protest wearing black badges if their demands would not be fulfilled.

While Deputy convenor of OBSKSMM, Satyabrata Parida, and Convener Amar Pratap Singh led the protest briefing the media, Manoranjan Biswal, Bisudhananda Parija, Bijaya Bhujabala, Dhananjay Parida, priyabrata Nayak, Malay Ranjan Patra, and other staff also present during the peaceful protest here.