Field staff of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited have resisted the rollout of departmental smartphones for linemen and other employees, asserting that long-pending safety kits and tools and plants (T&P) equipment should take precedence over what unions described as a surveillance-based monitoring system.
The issue has triggered fresh unrest within the power utility after PSPCL initiated the deployment of official smartphones for field employees as part of a digital complaint handling and monitoring mechanism. Under the proposed system, consumer complaints would be routed directly to the official mobile phones of linemen and other field staff, requiring them to attend complaints, carry out repairs, and upload photographs and videos of completed work through an application.
Employee unions, however, alleged that the mechanism was effectively designed to enable real-time monitoring of workers’ movement, attendance, duty hours, and response time in the field.
“Through these phones, the department can monitor where an employee is stationed, how much time is spent at a location, when the worker reported for duty and whether the complaint was resolved within the stipulated time.
Employees view this as constant surveillance,” a union representative said.
{{/usCountry}}Employees view this as constant surveillance,” a union representative said.
{{/usCountry}}Field employees claimed that GPS-enabled tracking, mandatory photo uploads and real-time reporting would make their every movement traceable, intensifying workplace pressure and raising concerns over privacy and excessive monitoring.
Employees further argued that the department should prioritise strengthening safety infrastructure for field workers engaged in hazardous electricity operations instead of introducing monitoring-based systems.
“The field staff has informed the department that official mobile phones will be accepted only after pending T&P and safety tool kits are provided, as these are essential for safe field operations,” an official said.
Union representatives maintained that several linemen continue to work without adequate protective equipment despite routinely undertaking high-risk fault repair and maintenance work, particularly during the ongoing summer season marked by rising electricity demand and increasing complaint load.
The controversy has surfaced at a time when the power utility is already grappling with manpower shortages, mounting operational pressure, and simmering employee discontent across Punjab.
Employee organisations warned that imposing monitoring mechanisms without first addressing long-pending demands related to safety equipment and staffing could further aggravate unrest within the department.