PMK's Anbumani urges TANGEDCO to promote gangmen to Field Assistant, Wireman posts
Synopsis
Over 9,600 TANGEDCO gangmen appointed in 2021 are reportedly doing the work of Field Assistants and Wiremen — but without the grade or pay. With 80-plus deaths by electrocution and more than 40,000 vacancies on the horizon, PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss is demanding the state act before another recruitment cycle bypasses workers already doing the job.
Key Takeaways
PMK President Dr Anbumani Ramadoss urged the Vijay government and TANGEDCO to prioritise gangmen for higher technical posts.
9,613 gangmen were appointed in March 2021 after nearly 90,000 candidates applied; pay scale set at ₹16,200–₹51,500 .
TANGEDCO reportedly has 26,605 Field Assistant and 14,358 Wireman vacancies pending to be filled.
More than 80 gangmen have died due to electrocution on duty; over 200 have suffered workplace injuries, according to Anbumani.
Gangmen are allegedly performing Field Assistant and Wireman duties without the corresponding designation or salary.
Courts and labour welfare organisations have reportedly recommended examining the gangmen's grievances.
PMK President Dr Anbumani Ramadoss on Monday urged the Vijay government and the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) to address the long-pending demands of gangmen employed with the utility, calling for their priority appointment to vacant Field Assistant and Wireman posts. Anbumani described the demand as both reasonable and justified, arguing that these workers already perform the duties of higher-grade employees without receiving commensurate pay or designation.
Background: How gangmen came to be recruited
TANGEDCO had not recruited field-level workers for several years before issuing a notification in 2019 for technical personnel designated as gangmen. Nearly 90,000 candidates applied, and after clearing physical efficiency and written examinations, 9,613 candidates were appointed as gangmen in March 2021. Following two years of training, they were placed in a pay scale ranging from ₹16,200 to ₹51,500.
What gangmen are actually doing on the ground
According to Anbumani, gangmen are currently performing duties that fall squarely within the remit of Field Assistants and Wiremen — including restoring power supply during outages, rectifying low-voltage faults, maintaining transformers, and handling other technical electricity operations. Despite shouldering these responsibilities, they reportedly continue to be classified and compensated under their original, lower-grade category.
Safety toll: Over 80 deaths, 200 injuries reported
The PMK leader flagged a serious safety dimension to the issue. He claimed that more than 80 gangmen have lost their lives due to electrocution while on duty, and over 200 others have sustained injuries in workplace accidents. The nature of high-risk electrical fieldwork, he argued, makes the case for proper designation and pay all the more urgent.
The demand: Priority in filling 40,000-plus vacancies
Anbumani urged that when TANGEDCO proceeds to fill its reported vacancies of 26,605 Field Assistant posts and 14,358 Wireman posts, existing gangmen should be given priority, with any remaining positions filled through fresh recruitment. He noted that many gangmen hold university degrees and postgraduate qualifications — credentials that exceed the minimum requirements for the higher posts. Courts and labour welfare organisations have also reportedly recommended examining the issue, he added.
Additional grievances: Postings far from home
Beyond designation and pay, Anbumani highlighted the hardship of workers posted hundreds of kilometres from their hometowns, calling for immediate measures to improve their career prospects within TANGEDCO. He urged the state government to ensure gangmen receive positions and salaries commensurate with their qualifications and on-ground experience. The issue is likely to gain traction as TANGEDCO prepares to initiate its large-scale recruitment drive for technical posts.
Point of View
Trained them for two years, deployed them on high-risk field duties — and then left them stranded at entry-grade pay while the utility prepares to fill over 40,000 vacancies above them. The 80-plus electrocution deaths are not incidental; they are the direct cost of deploying undertitled, underpaid workers on live electrical infrastructure. If TANGEDCO recruits fresh candidates into Field Assistant and Wireman roles while bypassing experienced gangmen, it will be a policy failure that courts and labour tribunals may ultimately have to correct — as they have in analogous cases elsewhere in public-sector utilities.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are TANGEDCO gangmen and why are they demanding promotion?
TANGEDCO gangmen are technical field workers recruited in 2021 after a 2019 notification, with 9,613 candidates appointed following competitive examinations. They are demanding priority appointment to Field Assistant and Wireman posts because they are reportedly already performing those duties without the corresponding pay or designation.
How many vacancies does TANGEDCO have in Field Assistant and Wireman categories?
TANGEDCO reportedly has 26,605 vacant Field Assistant posts and 14,358 vacant Wireman posts. PMK's Anbumani Ramadoss has urged that existing gangmen be given priority when these vacancies are filled, with remaining posts going to fresh recruits.
What is the safety situation for gangmen at TANGEDCO?
According to Anbumani Ramadoss, more than 80 gangmen have died due to electrocution while on duty, and over 200 others have suffered injuries in workplace accidents. He cited these figures to argue that workers performing high-risk electrical fieldwork must receive proper designation and pay.
What pay scale are gangmen currently on?
Gangmen are placed on a pay scale of ₹16,200 to ₹51,500, following two years of training after their March 2021 appointment. Critics argue this is below what their on-ground responsibilities — equivalent to Field Assistant and Wireman duties — would warrant.
Has any legal or official body weighed in on the gangmen's demands?
According to Anbumani Ramadoss, courts and labour welfare organisations have recommended that the issue be examined. He cited these recommendations to bolster his call for the Vijay government to act on the gangmen's long-pending demands.
