Power employees to go on strike from today

Power supply in the state is likely to be affected from Friday as the employee unions of the sector have given a call for 8220;work boycott8221; for the next 48 hours.

Power supply in the state is likely to be affected from Friday as the employee unions of the sector have given a call for 8220;work boycott8221; for the next 48 hours. They were demanding revision of their pay scales according to the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.

The unions have, however, exempted those working in shifts in the transmission and generation wings of the power sector.

The Mayawati government has already implemented the pay panel8217;s suggestions for state government employees, teachers and non-teaching staff with effect from December 1, 2008.

Addressing mediapersons on Thursday, media convener of the Power Employees8217; Joint Action Committee, Shailendra Dube, said: 8220;If our demand is not met, then power employees will

be forced to begin an indefinite strike.8221;

Blaming the management of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited UPPCL, he said: 8220;The management has forced us to resort to an agitation, as it was reluctant to grant us the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.

This, even after the categorical announcement by the energy minister on November 19 that new pay scale will be implemented the from the New Year.8221;

8220;The power distribution network is under tremendous pressure due to the cold wave sweeping the state. The employees in the distribution wing of UPPCL will not attend to any fault in distribution lines and transformers on January 2 and 3,8221; he added.

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According to Dube, though the UPPCL management has completed the preliminary exercise for the revision of the pay scales, it was delaying its implementation.

The pay scales of power employees were last revised in 1996 after the employees went on indefinite strike.

The strike was called off after a week after a settlement was negotiated.

The revision of the pay scales as per the Sixth Pay Commission will entail an additional non-recurring burden of Rs 1,600 crore on the arrears and an annual recurring burden of Rs 360 crore on the UPPCL, its four subsidiaries and the Uttar Pradesh Thermal Power Generation Corporation.