TNEB field workers demand extra pay

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Chennai:12.04.2020

TNEB engineers and field staff have demand extra wages for risking their lives and working during lockdown, whereas ministerial, audit and accounts staff have demand that they be exempted from work during lockdown. The frontline employees of the power utility have accused the government of ignoring them while announcing extra pay for the overstressed government workforce.

Two days ago, as rain and heavy wind wreaked havoc across many parts of the state, many TNEB staff worked all through the night to restore power supply. Recently, a TNEB official, M Murali, died of heart attack in Tambaram while he was on duty. The government did not provide any financial support to his family, a superintending engineer told TOI. A group of engineers called on directors of TNEB recently to submit petitions seeking extra wages for working during lockdown. They could not get an appointment with the chairman, they said.

“We, in a joint statement, requested TNEB chairman to take necessary urgent action to safeguard the employees by issuing working instructions to the field staff and to other departments concerned,” said a signatory to the joint statement.

Those on the field are working without any proper protection from the virus. “Those working in substations were provided masks and sanitizers once. After that, we have been dependent on NGOs for masks and sanitizers.