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Ludhiana: Year on, PSPCL sub-station staffers await overtime pay
Workers said that amid a lack of manpower, they work excessive hours, often clocking over 150 hours of overtime per quarter; the management compensates them for only 50 hours and even those payments have been stalled since April last year
Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) sub-station workers employed as assistants, junior engineers, oil cleaners and regular teammates alleged they have not received overtime wages for a year.
They said that amid a lack of manpower, they work excessive hours, often clocking over 150 hours of overtime per quarter. The workers said the management compensates them for only 50 hours and even those payments have been stalled since April last year.
According to the data available, nearly 200 staffers at 39 sub-stations under the operation and maintenance (O&M) division are hit.
“We have been working round the clock, often giving up our weekly offs, emergency leaves, and holidays. There aren’t enough hands to operate the substations. The management recognises only 50 hours of overtime per quarter and the payments have been pending for over a year. It is unfair,” said Ashok Kumar, a member of the Grid Maintenance Sangharsh Committee, Ludhiana.
Protection and maintenance (P&M) wing chief engineer Punnardeep Singh Brar said, “There was a backlog of three years in overtime clearance. We streamlined payments for some substations up to September and December last year. The remaining dues will be disbursed soon.”
On the delay, he said the power corporation’s internal process of wage clearance is complex. “Workers document their hours, which must be approved by their supervisors. These records are then submitted for verification and final approval by the department concerned, which is a time-consuming process,” he added.
