Tamil Nadu announces pay hike for TANGEDCO employees

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu government today announced a seven per cent hike in the salary of Electricity Board employees with effect from December one 2011.

The announcement by Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on the New Year day will benefit 70,820 workers and 10,160 officers of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited ( TANGEDCO), the power generation and distribution arm of Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, and cost an aditional expense of Rs 252 crore to it, an official release said here.

The decision to revise the salary package was taken after Jayalalithaa chaired a meeting with top officials of Electricity Board and senior Government officials.

The wage agreement between the employees, workers and TANGEDCO had come to an end on November 30, 2011, following which a Committee was formed to formulate a new pay scale.

The Committee held several rounds of discussion with 15 Unions representing the workers and employees of TANGEDCO. Based on the recommendations of the committee Jayalalithaa announced the decisions to hike the pay.

The seven per cent hike would lead to an increase in the package of a minimum of Rs 700 and to a maximum of Rs 13,160, the release said. The pay hike given to employees of TANGEDCO would be equal to those employed in the State deparments, it said.

The outstanding arrears from December one, 2011 to December 31, 2013 would be paid in two installments, it said.