Contract labourers, part of the unrecognised union working with REL, started affecting the day-to-day working of the company, disrupting the supply to most consumers.
Power consumers from Tilak Nagar in Chembur, Tagore Nagar in Vikhroli, Andheri, Saki Naka were affected from Sunday night after some contract labourers with the Reliance Energy Limited (REL) resorted to tampering with transformers leading to tripping of electricity. However, supply was restored late Tuesday night.
Contract labourers, part of the unrecognised union working with REL, started affecting the day-to-day working of the company, disrupting the supply to most consumers.
“They tried to obstruct our daily operations. Our engineers who were on calls attending to complaints were threatened and two of them were injured as well,” said a spokesperson with REL.
The striking workers opened the valves of the transformer thereby allowing the oil to trickle at many places. This increases the temperature of the transformer but before it bursts, power gets dripped due to an internal adjustment and hence the supply gets affected to the respective area.
A transformer supplies electricity to almost 10,000 consumers. The show of demonstration comes within less than two months after the REL management signed a wage settlement for four years with the Bombay Electric Workers Union (BEWU).
BEWU is the recognised union under the Bombay Industrial Relations (BIR) Act – the sole union with which the REL management can officially bargain. It represents both permanent and contract labourers.
The striking union is trying to seek recognition by claiming to represent workers interest and has often resorted to tactics of coercion to show support among workers, sources said.
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