Power consumer complaints remain unheeded as linemen and helpers strike work
The employees of contractors, Sandha & Company and Vision Plus, said they are demanding a salary hike, which is currently meagre. While the linemen are getting a little over Rs 9,000 a month, the helpers receive Rs 6,600, according to the employees.
In fact, their salary was reduced after the new contractors took over the work in 2002. Now, they are demanding hikes up to Rs 21,000 for linemen and Rs 18,000 for helpers. "With this meagre amount, we cannot run our families.
We will not resume work until our demands are met," said one of the employees.
TOI tried to contact the management of the two companies, but calls and text messages remained unanswered. The employees said that the state govt raised the minimum wage by Rs 27 in 2022, but they did not get the benefits.
Sources said in the absence of regular employees, the company has hired temporary workers to manage the maintenance and address consumer complaints, but the temporary measure is not enough.
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