KSEB meter readers in Kerala called off their strike on Friday after representatives held talks with state power minister and KPCC chief Sunny Joseph, ending an industrial dispute that had continued since October 1 over work-related and wage demands.
Joseph’s office said the minister will hold another meeting with the meter readers on Thursday to discuss their outstanding demands. The announcement did not specify the terms agreed during Friday’s talks or indicate whether any of the workers’ demands had been accepted.
The dispute places attention on the field workforce responsible for electricity meter-reading operations under the Kerala State Electricity Board. Meter-reading work is a routine part of the power utility’s interaction with consumers and supports the process through which electricity usage is recorded. The source report did not provide details on the number of workers involved, the geographical spread of the strike or any disruption to billing services.
The workers had been on strike since October 1. Their demands, as described in the report, related to work and wages. The strike was called off following discussions between their representatives and Joseph, who holds the power portfolio in the Kerala government. The minister’s office said the next meeting would focus on the demands raised by the workers.
The development also came during a media interaction in which Joseph rejected allegations by CJP that mass deletion of voters during the Special Intensive Revision process had helped the Congress-led United Democratic Front come to power after the April Assembly elections. Joseph attributed the UDF’s victory to what he described as a pro-UDF wave and the alliance’s performance in local body elections.
Joseph also questioned the argument that the voter revision process had caused the fall of the previous Pinarayi Vijayan government and created an undue advantage for the UDF. He pointed to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in three sitting Left Democratic Front seats as part of his response. These political remarks were separate from the negotiations with KSEB meter readers.
For the electricity utility, the immediate next step is the meeting scheduled for Thursday. The source report did not state whether meter-reading operations had returned fully to normal after the strike or whether consumers would face any pending service or billing-related effects. Further details on the workers’ demands and the outcome of the next round of talks are expected to clarify the settlement.
