Jagtial District: Artisan employees under the banner of the Telangana Electricity Artisan Employees Joint Action Committee staged protests demanding the fulfillment of their legitimate demands. As part of their ongoing agitation for the past four days, they organized a “Vanta-Varpu” (community cooking protest) in front of the office of the Divisional Engineer (Electrical) in Metpally on Monday.
The protesting employees raised slogans against the government and demanded immediate resolution of their issues. Along with artisan workers, bill collectors, spot billers, and unmanned workers also participated in the strike. Around 360 artisan employees from Jagtial district took part in the protest.
Speaking on the occasion, JAC representatives said that they have been working under difficult conditions for the past 20 years. They expressed disappointment that even after the formation of Telangana state, their lives have not improved as expected. They stated that their demands are simple and would not impose any financial burden on the government.
Among their key demands are conversion of artisan workers based on educational qualifications, recognition of unmanned workers working under TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL as artisans, and inclusion of workers who were eligible but not merged as artisans as of 04-12-2016. They also demanded implementation of minimum wages as per G.O. No. 11 for piece-rate workers and provision of 30 working days per month.
Additionally, they urged the government to implement AAPSEB rules for artisan workers and to establish a “one organization – one rule” policy. They demanded that the state government and electricity departments initiate talks immediately and resolve their issues, warning that the protest will continue until justice is served.
