Contract employees of a private agency working at the Mettur thermal power plant (MTPP) went on an indefinite strike on Thursday, condemning the management for reducing their salary.
MTPP has four thermal plants in which 210 MW of power is being generated in each plant. An additional plant to generate 600 MW of power was also set up in 2013 by the state government.
As many as 200 contract employees of a private agency are working in the additional unit.
The agency has reduced the salary of its employees since February 2021. “There was no response from the agency when we inquired about the reason for salary reduction,” M Raja, one of the employees, said.“The agency gave the same reduced salary for March as well,” Raja said.
Hence, the employees decided to go on an indefinite strike as their salary was not restored. “We will not return to our duty until our actual salary is restored,” Raja said.
When contacted by TOI, a senior officer of the MTPP who did not wish to reveal his name said that they have initiated talks with the private agency. “We hope that they will settle this issue in a couple of days,” he said.
