Power employees affiliated with the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC) will observe a two-day mass leave on October 21 and 22 to protest against the Punjab government’s failure to fulfil its promises. The federation will also participate in a protest outside finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema’s residence in Dirba on October 28.
The employees are demanding the release of pending dearness allowance (DA) instalments and arrears, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, implementation of pending pay commission benefits and regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees. Their demands also include the restoration of withdrawn allowances and payment of pending salary and service benefits. Power sector employees have separately been pressing for the implementation of pending service-related decisions, revision of pay scales and filling vacant posts in the electricity corporation.
The decision was announced at a meeting of the federation working committee held at Isru Bhawan under the chairmanship of state president and Ekta Manch convener Manjit Singh Basarke.
Manjit Singh Basarke said that the federation would join the statewide protest call given by the joint coordination committee of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and the Ekta Manch. He added that the employees of the electricity corporation and other government departments would participate in the mass leave which could cause inconvenience to the public.
Holding the state government responsible for the situation, Manjit Singh said that the employees were being forced to take to the streets because the government had failed to fulfil its commitments.
{{/usCountry}}Holding the state government responsible for the situation, Manjit Singh said that the employees were being forced to take to the streets because the government had failed to fulfil its commitments.
{{/usCountry}}He appealed to the public to support the employees’ protests claiming that their demands were also linked to public interest.
The meeting was attended by state general secretary Harwinder Singh Akalgarh, senior vice-president Rakesh Saini, Mohan Singh Gill, Jaswinder Singh, Arun Kumar, Gurpreet Singh Mehdudan, Lakhvir Singh, treasurer Davinder Singh, assistant treasurer Manjinder Singh and other circle-level leaders.