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Ludhiana: Power services go for a toss as PSPCL contractual staff start statewide stir
PSPCL outsourced workers in Ludhiana strike for job regularization and better pay, disrupting maintenance services amid demands for safety and compensation.
Maintenance of transmission lines and complaint redressal services in Ludhiana remained under severe strain on Tuesday after outsourced workers of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) launched a statewide strike in Ludhiana, disrupting routine operations across the district.
As part of the agitation, PSPCL’s outsourced staff, primarily employed as complaint handling bike (CHB) and complaint handling worker (CHW) personnel also staged a massive demonstration outside the residence of power minister Sanjeev Arora in Ludhiana. The protest, organised under the banner of the Powercom and Transco Contract Workers Union, saw the participation of hundreds of workers from across Punjab demanding job regularisation, equal pay for equal work, risk allowance, safety kits and proper compensation for families of employees who lost their lives while on duty.
Avtar Singh, head of the union in the Aggar Nagar division, said, “We have completely shunned operations in several divisions across Ludhiana district including Aggar Nagar, Sunder Nagar, Chhawni Mohalla, City Centre, Jagraon and Lalton. Until the government meets our demands, we will not resume work.” He added that the strike has been called in response to the prolonged neglect by the state government, despite repeated assurances on regularisation policy and pay parity.
Meanwhile, explaining the impact of the strike, officials noted the strike has come at a time when PSPCL intensified post-paddy season maintenance and load management work.
“Several 11 KV and 66 KV lines are scheduled for preventive maintenance this time to ensure stability during the upcoming winter load period. These outsourced CHB and CHW workers are the first responders during faults, handle feeder line maintenance, emergency restorations and transformer repairs. Without their presence, even routine maintenance and breakdown redressal get difficult to manage, said Gurmanpreet Singh, executive engineer (City West).
Balihar Singh, state president of the union, said, “We were compelled to launch the strike after the finance minister and power minister failed to hold the scheduled meeting with our union on October 24. Despite repeated assurances, no concrete action has been taken to address our long pending demands. Thousands of outsourced workers across Punjab continue to work under uncertainty facing job insecurity, delayed wages, lack of safety kits, and no social security benefits. Many of our colleagues have lost their lives while repairing power lines, yet we struggled for basic safety provisions and job assurance promised by the government.”
