TRICHY: Contractual workers with Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (Bhel) staged a protest near the factory at Thuvakudi here on Friday demanding revision of their wages. They staged the protest by holding begging bowls in their hands.The contractual workers, protesting under the banner of the Labour Contract Society (LCS) of Bhel, said they had been recruited four decades ago to the posts of helper, storekeeper and supervisor.
The wages of Bhel’s permanent employees were revised a few months ago. The LCS said though it had placed a petition to the management seeking revision of the wages of the contractual workers, its demand had been sidelined.
“Our wages have not been revised for the past 10 years. Our overtime wage was stopped recently. Hence, our salaries have become highly inadequate to meet the financial needs of our families,” said U Selvaraj, secretary of the CITU Contractual Workers Union.
The workers said that they would continue protests until the Bhel management agrees either to reinstate their overtime wage or revise their salary.