Hyderabad: Transmission Corporation of Telangana Limited (TRANSCO) artisans on Friday, April 17, called off their indefinite strike after Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka assured that he would hold talks with the TRANSCO Chairman and Managing Director D Krishna Bhaskar regarding their issues.
The Telangana Vidyuth Artisan Employees Joint Action Committee (TVAEJAC) had called the indefinite strike from 9 am on April 8, citing unresolved demands that included regularisation of the services of artisans, pay hike, among others.
TRANSCO’s warning
Following the strike, TRANSCO issued a warning to the artisan employees on April 15 saying they will be terminated from service if they fail to rejoin duty by 11 am on April 16.
The warning was issued through a formal notice to striking artisans, invoking provisions of the Telangana Essential Services Maintenance Act (TESMA), the Industrial Disputes Act and the corporation’s standing orders.
Under TESMA, the Telangana government had imposed a six-month prohibition on strikes across all its power utilities effective from February 25 to August 24.
On April 17, the Electricity Artisans Joint Action Committee (JAC) Chairman Satish Reddy called off the strike as JAC leaders met the Deputy CM in Praja Bhavan.
Bhatti Vikarmarka told the workers it would be inappropriate for them to go on a strike when the electricity demand is reaching peak levels in summer and urged them to resolve their issues through dialogue.
