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Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: PSPCL employees warn of mass leave protest
Agitated by the continued delay in issuing official notifications for the demands accepted during the June 2 meeting in Mohali, electricity workers already observing a strict 'work-to-rule' campaign, staged a protest on Sunday, as a part of the state level demonstration. During this, the protesting employees warned that if the state government fails to act on its commitments, they will go on a mass leave protest from August 11 to 13. The protesting employees warned that if the state government fails to act on its commitments, they will go on a mass leave protest from August 11 to 13. (HT Photo) The protest is being jointly led by several associations including the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Sub Station Employees Union, Powercom and Transco Pensioners Union (AITUC Punjab), and the Pensioner Welfare Federation. Employees said their frustration stems from a meeting chaired by power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on June 2 at the PSPCL guest house in Mohali, during which several demands were agreed upon. However, nearly two months later, they allege that the power management has deliberately delayed issuing the necessary notification and beginning the implementation process. The unions have flagged several key issues, including the non-payment of the pending 13% dearness allowance, non-restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, unresolved salary and pension anomalies, unpaid arrears, and what they term as the 'stealth' privatisation of the power sector. Protesters also criticised the delay in compensating families of workers who died during last year's paddy season, the lack of a cashless treatment facility for injured employees, and the imposition of Central Pay Scales in place of the power corporation's agreed scales. Further grievances include a rise in workplace fatalities, politically motivated transfers, denial of promotion-linked benefits, and the continued exploitation of in-house contract workers due to non-regularisation. Pensioners are particularly upset over a monthly deduction of ₹200 under the development tax, calling it arbitrary and unjustified. Union leaders have stated that if the government fails to respond promptly, the responsibility for any disruption in electricity services during the mass leave protest period will lie entirely with the state government and the power corporation's management.
Indian Express
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
PSPCL contractual staff go on strike, regular staff adopt ‘work-to-rule' against govt's failure to implement demands
Nearly 5,500 contractual employees went on strike, and regular employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) adopted 'work-to-rule' action on Monday to protest the Punjab government's alleged failure to implement long-pending demands. Under the 'work-to-rule' policy, PSPCL's regular employees have decided not to attend to phone calls after their eight-hour work schedule and have refused to undertake any overtime, which they had previously agreed to do to manage increased workloads. Employees have given the 'work-to-rule' call under the banner of the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Sub-Station Employees Union (Regd. No. 24), Powercom/Transco Pensioners Union AITUC, and Pensioner Welfare Federation Powercom and Transco. The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers Association has, however, not joined this protest. Union leader Gurpreet Singh Mahidudan in Ludhiana said that employees' union members submitted memoranda to the executive engineers of their respective subdivisions across the state on Monday. Union leaders said that during their last meeting with Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh on June 2, several of their demands were accepted in principle, but no official notification has been issued to date. The protesting contractual employees are demanding compensation for the families of those who died in the line of duty, a job for the next of kin in such cases, and regularisation of their services. Pensioner leaders Kewal Singh and Dharminder Kumar said, 'Under the call of Central Trade Unions and the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), power employees would also participate in a nationwide strike on July 9.' 'The strike will press the government to withdraw the Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, scrapping of the proposed four labour codes created after ending 44 existing labour laws, implementation of the Old Pension Scheme, and reversal of the privatisation of government electricity companies, among other demands,' they added. On July 3, contractual employees and their families will stage a massive protest at the PSPCL head office in Patiala. 'Over 400 employees have died on duty in line of duty over the years, and their families are yet to be compensated. Several others have been injured. We get a meagre of Rs 10,000 per month. Hence, we, along with our families, will hold a dharna in Patiala on July 3,' said Balihar Singh, president of the Contractual Employees' Union.
Hindustan Times
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Power staff begin ‘work-to-rule' protest over unmet demands
Jun 28, 2025 07:04 AM IST Amid mounting frustration over unfulfilled promises and unresolved grievances, electricity department employees across Punjab have launched a statewide 'work-to-rule' protest. Under the protest, employees will work only for 8 hours and respond to any work-related calls between 5 pm and 9 am. The protesting employees allege that repeated assurances from the government and PSPCL have failed to materialise. (HT File) The agitation is being led jointly by the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, and Grid Sub-Station Employees Union, under the leadership of Rattan Singh Majari and Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind. The protesting employees allege that repeated assurances from the government and PSPCL have failed to materialise. 'We were assured that our concerns would be addressed within a set timeframe, but even after several extensions, no steps have been taken,' said a junior engineer. Their key demands include regular recruitment to fill thousands of vacant posts, rollback of privatization efforts, better safety infrastructure, and compensation for workers injured or killed during duty. They have also opposed the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission without proper consultation. 'When a worker gives 24x7 service, he deserves equal pay and humane conditions. This protest is our last resort,' the JE added.
