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Ludhiana: After failed talks with CMD, PSPCL contract staff seek government’s intervention
According to the federation, Punjab Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond had earlier assured that outsourced employees working in Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Consumer Response Centres (CRCs/Suvidha Kendras), metering laboratories and stores would be brought under direct departmental contracts by ending the third-party outsourcing system
Representatives of the striking Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) outsourced employees on Saturday met Punjab governor Gulab Chand Kataria, seeking his intervention to resolve their long-pending demands, including direct departmental contracts and job security.
The move comes after nearly two-and-a-half hours of talks with PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Basant Garg failed to break the deadlock, prompting the federation to continue its indefinite strike.
A delegation of the Outsource Employees Federation Punjab apprised the Governor of issues that, it said, have remained unresolved despite repeated meetings with the Punjab government and the PSPCL management.
The employees said they had launched the indefinite strike after the government failed to issue the promised notification for bringing outsourced workers under direct departmental contracts.
The governor assured the delegation that no category of employees would face injustice and said any concerns regarding discrimination or exclusion would be examined at the appropriate level.
He also assured them that every effort would be made to ensure a fair resolution of the matter.
Federation leaders described the meeting as encouraging and said the governor’s assurance had renewed hope that their issues would receive due consideration.
According to the federation, Punjab Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond had earlier assured that outsourced employees working in Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Consumer Response Centres (CRCs/Suvidha Kendras), metering laboratories and stores would be brought under direct departmental contracts by ending the third-party outsourcing system.
However, no notification has been issued so far, leaving thousands of employees uncertain about their future.
The federation also informed the governor that the Punjab government is preparing legislation concerning outsourced employees.
It urged that workers serving in NCCs, CRCs, metering laboratories and stores, who have been handling essential consumer services for years, should not be excluded from its ambit.
The federation maintained that these employees perform essential public utility services and deserve legal protection and employment security.
Earlier, federation representatives held a nearly two-and-a-half-hour meeting with Garg, but the talks ended without any concrete outcome.
The delegation comprised federation president Kuljeet Singh Lohka, vice-president Amit Kumar, state treasurer Tarandeep Singh Virdi, executive members Ashwani Kumar and Manpreet Singh.
The federation reiterated that it would continue its democratic and constitutional struggle until employees working in Nodal Complaint Centres, Consumer Response Centres, metering laboratories and stores receive justice and adequate employment safeguards.
