SHILLONG, Aug 29: Casual workers of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) on Monday began their first phase of agitation with a three-day wearing of black badge demanding the state government to immediately regularize their services and to release their pending arrear.

The protest called under the banner of the MeECL Progressive Workers Union (MePWU) was also backed by the Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL (Employees) Associations and Unions (CCORMAU).

“We will be compelled to go ahead with our second phase of agitation by holding sit-in-demonstration from September 5 to 16, if the government fails to heed our demands,” MePWU president told reporters.

According to him, there are over 2009 casual workers who have been working in the MeECL for the past 20-30 years.

CCORMAU President PK Shullet said that the state government and the MeECL management need to have a proper road map to solve this issue concerning the casual workers of the corporation. “Solution is there but it is only a question of whether they have the will to solve the problem or not,” he said.

According to him, the problem can be solved by increasing the tariff. “There is a term called annual revenue requirement which is met through our tariff. Therefore, it (proposal) has to be included in the tariff and once that is done, we realize the revenue and meet the (additional) expenditure,” he added.

Meanwhile, CCORMAU vice president Arju Dkhar requested the state government and the management to immediately invite the MePWU for discussion and resolve the issue across the table.

“It is just the will power and it is not regularizing all 2,000 casual workers at one go because in the first phase, the number of casual workers will only come to around 500-600,” he said adding “The CCORMAU also requested the management to consider regularization of those employees who have working for the past 12 years. If it agrees to this, we will not need to go ahead with the second phase of agitation which will start from September 5.”

He also reminded that this was a very long pending issue of the casual workers since the early 2,000, adding that the management cannot continue to give excuses due to financial constraint considering the fact that the cost of living is very expensive in today’s world.

Dkhar also demanded the management to release the pending arrear of contractual workers from 2018 and regular staff from 2015.

When asked, the vice president said the committee constituted by the MeECL management in May 2018 had met the MePWU and regularization of the services was one of the important issues agreed upon.

At first, the then Director of Corporate Affairs had put forth a proposal wherein regularization of contractual employees will take effect for those who have completed 15 years of continuous service. However, the MePWU requested that it should be reduced to 10 years, to which the Director agreed to take up with his higher ups.

“Since there was no positive response from the management, CCORMAU in February this year met the present Chairman cum Managing Director and requested the need to agree on 12 years to which he commented that it was fair enough. We have also presented the case before the deputy chief minister but we could see time is running out as with the present situation since they have been serving for over 20-30 years there is anxiety among the employees. Hence this demand,” he added.