NTPL Workers Strike Enter 23rd Day, Management Refuse Equal Wage for Equal Work

The contract workers of NLC TamilNadu Power Limited (NTPL) in Thoothukudi, a joint venture of NLC India Limited (NLCIL) and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO), have been on strike since April 17, demanding equal pay for equal work. These workers are paid significantly less than their counterparts employed in NLCIL plants in Neyveli.

Seven rounds of talks held so far have yielded no positive response from the NTPL management, forcing the workers to continue their strike into the 23rd day. The workers are demanding that the management disburse wages as per the directions issued by the Madras High Court in 2021.

The 2x500 MW plant located in Thoothukudi district does not have a single permanent employee and is operated by 1,374 contract workers, categorized as skilled, unskilled, semi-skilled, and highly skilled.

When the plant was announced in 2002, promises were made to generate 1,000 permanent and 5,000 indirect employment opportunities. However, even after several years, no permanent appointments have been made by the NTPL management.

Equal Wage for Equal Work

The NTPL plants were commissioned in 2012, generating 1,000 MW of electricity for commercial purposes. The NTPL management deputed only 24 technical staff from NLCIL in Neyveli, relying entirely on 1,374 contract workers for plant operations.

Since 2012, these workers have been paid lower wages than their counterparts in NLCIL plants, prompting the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) to approach the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) in 2019. Their primary demand was ‘equal wage for equal work.’

M. Appadurai, leader of the Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu Electricity Employees (COTEE), stated that the wage gap between NLCIL and NTPL workers ranges from Rs 189 to Rs 321 per day, a disparity that has persisted since 2021. This gap has caused severe financial hardship for the workers.

Wage comparison as on October 1, 2024

During the seventh round of talks held on May 6, the management refused to accept the workers' legitimate demands, forcing them to continue the strike.

NTPL MISLED CLC

When the case filed by CITU was heard by the CLC, the NTPL management falsely claimed that contract workers were not involved in manufacturing-related work but were engaged in gardening. However, a surprise inspection by the Deputy CLC exposed this misrepresentation. An order to ensure equal wages was passed by the CLC on April 30, 2021, but the management appealed the verdict in the High Court, which dismissed the appeal.

“The Madras High Court further passed an order on March 3 to ensure equal wages, but the NTPL management again appealed. Following this, the workers began the strike on April 17,” Appadurai said.

The management had even promised an interim relief of Rs 82 per day, covering washing allowance, HRA, and food allowance during recent tripartite talks held in the presence of revenue officials, but this promise was not fulfilled. The workers are now considering other forms of protest, including an indefinite hunger strike, and have urged the state government and labour welfare department to intervene and resolve the deadlock.

The government-run NTPL has been accused of exploiting contract workers by maintaining two different wage structures for the same work. The long-standing promise of providing permanent jobs remains unfulfilled.

Despite being a government organisation, NTPL has relied on contract employment for the past 13 years, undermining opportunities for permanent employment among educated youth. Furthermore, reservation policies are not implemented in contract appointments, excluding socially oppressed youth from equitable employment opportunities.