With no resolution in sight for their long-pending demands, PSPCL outsourced workers employed as complaint handling bikes (CHB) and complaint handling wagons (CHW) in Ludhiana have announced to stall their routine operations on Tuesday, as part of statewide strike under the banner of Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union.
Avtar Singh, head of the union in the Aggar Nagar division said, “We are shutting down our operations mainly in Aggar Nagar, Janta Nagar and Sunder Nagar division as part of the demonstration. He further stated that we are the one who resolved electricity related complaints registered on helpline 1912, even in adverse weather conditions putting our lives at risk. Still, the authorities fail to provide secured jobs to us.”
The protest comes in the wake of what the workers allege is the non-implementation of assurances given by the state government during a meeting held on July 12. The meeting, chaired by the chief minister, was attended by the power minister, principal secretaries of the power, finance, and personnel departments, and representatives of the contractual workers.
According to a letter dated July 21 addressed to PSPCL senior officials including the CM, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and the PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director, union representatives have reiterated their core demands. These include scrapping the privatisation policy, removing third-party contractors, directly inducting outsourced workers such as CHB, CHW, and CHH into the department, implementing minimum wages as per the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, and ensuring permanent jobs and pension benefits for workers injured on duty.
{{/usCountry}}According to a letter dated July 21 addressed to PSPCL senior officials including the CM, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and the PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director, union representatives have reiterated their core demands. These include scrapping the privatisation policy, removing third-party contractors, directly inducting outsourced workers such as CHB, CHW, and CHH into the department, implementing minimum wages as per the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, and ensuring permanent jobs and pension benefits for workers injured on duty.
{{/usCountry}}“During the July 12 meeting, the CM assured us that our demands would be met and directed the power minister to take necessary action. However, nothing has moved on the ground,” said one of the union members, expressing frustration over the continued delays.
Union leaders have stated that they have held multiple rounds of talks with government representatives but to no avail. In the absence of concrete action, they said, workers are left with no choice but to intensify their agitation.