AP govt increase salary of Electricity outsourced employees' by 37%

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has raised the salaries of outsourced employees in the electricity department by 37%.

On receipt of a series of representations from the Unions/Associations, time again to revise their wages, several meetings have been conducted with the Unions/Associations of AP Power Utilities who have canvassed the grievance of outsourced workers working.

This decision was announced on Wednesday through an order issued by the Special Chief Secretary of the Electricity Department K Vijayanand.

The move is set to positively impact approximately 27,000 outsourcing employees working within the electricity sector. This notable salary rise has propelled the income of these outsourcing employees to exceed Rs 21,000.

The highly skilled workers will get Rs 30,605 per month, with an increase of Rs 8,016. Previously, they used to get Rs 22,589 per month. Similarly, the skilled workers will get Rs 27,953, with an increase of Rs 7,355 per month.

The previous salary was around Rs 20,598. The semi-skilled workers will get a monthly salary of Rs 23,263, up from Rs 17,144. The unskilled workers will get a monthly salary of Rs 22,318 instead of Rs 16,473. There is an increase of Rs 5,845 per month for unskilled workers.

Further, the government has also mandated contract agencies to extend group insurance facilities to them.

The government's proactive stance in this matter is expected to bring about a series of positive outcomes for outsourcing employees within the power department. This includes not only improved financial compensation but also enhanced insurance coverage, thereby ensuring a more secure and stable professional environment for these dedicated workers.

Key points

1. The enhanced wages as per these orders shall be paid from the date of issue of these orders through the existing Agencies/Contractors.

2. The contribution towards EPF shall be paid only on the Basic Wage of the outsourced workers, limited to Rs 15,000, excluding other allowances.

3. The contractor shall provide Group Insurance and Mediclaim Insurance to all the outsourced workers whose wage is more than Rs 21,000 per month since they are not covered under ESI. The Insurance premium shall be restricted to an amount equivalent to 3.25% of the corporation's share for ESI.

4. The commission to the man power supply agencies/ contractors shall be paid on gross wages of the outsourced worker as per agreement.

5. The drivers shall be continued to be under the skilled category, but the wages shall be paid beneficially, either under these orders or Standard Scheduled Rates (SSR), without causing any reduction to the existing wages being paid.

It may be noted that, a week before, the Andhra Pradesh State Power Employees' Joint Action Committee (APSPE-JAC) called for an indefinite strike, demanding to solve the long pending issues, including pending arrears and regularisation of contract workers. However, the union called off the strike following an agreement with the government on the Revised Pay Scales (RPS),