Power corporation staff plan strike
The Hindu, 21 July 2009

PUDUCHERRY: Members of the Puducherry Power Corporation Employees Union (PPCEU) will go on an indefinite strike from August 1, to bring attention to the demands already presented to the management of the Puducherry Power Corporation Limited (PPCL). Members of the Puducherry Power Corporation Employees’ Welfare Union will join the strike on August 4.

The unions are demanding the implementation of corrected pay scale of the Fifth Pay Commission, equal working hours for all staff members and payment of overtime wages.

The union is also demanding the restoration of medical allowances for employees that were abruptly withdrawn in September 2008, a release said.

Secretary of the PPCEU K. Lakshmi Narayanan said that despite the approval of the governing body of the corporation for several of these demands, the management has not yet implemented them.

“We want higher officials to find a solution to these issues, because conciliation efforts have failed,” he said.

The release said that the PPCL, an undertaking of the government of Puducherry, has been exceeding the production target set by the Central Electricity Authority of India, and was adjudged as the company with the highest Plant Load Factor in 2003. The power plant nearly entirely caters to the requirement of Karaikal.