Kanchi rally for TANGEDCO workers

CHENNAI:  Tamil Nadu National Electricity Workers Federation (TNNEWF), affiliated to the INTUC, took out a rally from Kancheepuram to Chennai Fort seeking promotion for ‘mazdoors’ working in Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) for more than two decades.M Kalyanasundaram, President, TNNEWF, said “Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, during her previous regime, regularised several contract workers who had served many years. These workers have been rendering their services for decades and as a result, in a phased manner, most of them were inducted into the Corporation. Now, majority of them are in the verge of retirement and needs to be promoted as helpers to claim better benefits.”Pressing this, the rally began from Kancheepuram on November 5 with several members and mazdoors participating. The other demands made by the Federation were to convert the daily wage workers in the Corporation into permanent employees and regularisation of free power supply.G Kalan, INTUC State General Secretary, and other leaders who addressed a session, gave an insight on the sacrifices made by the mazdoors for the Corporation and the inhuman treatment meted out to them. Later, a petition was submitted to the chairman of TANGEDCO.