Chennai, June 8: Dr. Anbumani Ramadoss, the president of the PMK and former Union Minister, has urged the Tamil Nadu government and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to address the long-standing demands of gangmen. He is advocating for their promotion to vacant positions of Field Assistant and Wireman. The demands of these employees are both reasonable and justified.
In a statement released on Monday, Anbumani noted that while steps are being taken to fill vacant positions in the electricity board, the requests from gangmen for appointments to higher technical roles have not received adequate attention from officials.
He highlighted that TANGEDCO had not recruited field-level employees for several years before issuing a notification in 2019 for the recruitment of technical staff as gangmen. Approximately 90,000 candidates applied for these positions, and after passing physical and written tests, 9,613 candidates were appointed as gangmen in March 2021.
After two years of training, these employees are placed on a pay scale ranging from ₹16,200 to ₹51,500. However, Anbumani alleged that they are performing responsibilities far beyond their designated roles.
According to him, gangmen are currently engaged in tasks typically assigned to Field Assistants and Wiremen, such as restoring supply during outages, resolving low voltage issues, maintaining transformers, and handling electrical technical work.
The PMK leader stated that due to the nature of their work, gangmen face significant risks. He claimed that over 80 gangmen have lost their lives due to electric shocks while on duty, and more than 200 have been injured in workplace accidents.
Anbumani emphasized that despite performing the duties of Field Assistants and Wiremen, gangmen remain classified in their original category. He argued that when TANGEDCO begins the process to fill 26,605 vacancies for Field Assistants and 14,358 for Wiremen, current gangmen should be given priority, with the remaining positions filled through new recruitment.
He pointed out that gangmen possess the necessary educational qualifications and technical training for higher positions. Many of them hold university degrees and advanced academic qualifications.
Courts and labor welfare organizations have also recommended investigating this issue. Anbumani urged the state government to ensure that gangmen receive positions and salaries commensurate with their qualifications and experience.
He also mentioned the difficulties faced by employees stationed hundreds of kilometers away from their homes and called for immediate action to provide better career opportunities within TANGEDCO.
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