India : Trade unions wrest major say in KSEB transfers
: With a change in government, recognised trade unions (TUs) in Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) have wrested a major say in transfers and posting.
According to the latest order
issued by KSEB fixing the transfer norms, the board will give protection from transfers to recognised general trade unions at one per cent of their membership strength subject to a maximum of 100 protected workmen for the entire establishment.
The new transfer norms issued last week by and large sticks to the earlier one formulated a couple of years ago. Apart from the trade union protection, general transfers will be made online to be implemented by April 30 every year coinciding with the academic annual vacation. Request for transfer will have to be submitted on or before March 15 every year to be considered during the general transfer for that year.
In the case of transfer protection, the membership of the unions will be verified from time to time in a referendum. The trade unions will provide the list of eligible workmen.
The changes have been made to the transfer norms as per the demands of the recognised general trade unions in KSEB. Several rounds of discussions were held with the unions.
The term of the new posting will be for three years. Employees with longer service in the current station will be transferred out to distant places and those with lesser service will be posted to places of lesser distance. As a general policy, any workmen working in the Malabar area which is 250 km away from their place of domicile and persons working in remote /hill area are eligible for transfer on completion of one year continuous service.
Workmen working in any other areas which are beyond and within 250 km from their place of domicile are eligible for transfer only after the completion of continuous service of two years in that location. Exemption will be to some of the listed and identified categories in the order.