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Ludhiana: Plaint redressal suffers as PSPCL contract staff strike enters Day 2
Voicing their concerns, union leaders alleged that despite repeated assurances, the authorities have failed to regularise the outsourced workers or provide them with fair wages, job security, and social benefits
The ongoing strike by outsourced employees of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) continued for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, affecting fault repairs and timely redressal of complaint services across multiple divisions in Ludhiana.
Reportedly, the striking workers, deployed as Complaint Handling Bike (CHB) and Complaint Handling Wagon (CHW) have completely halted their operations under the banner of Powercom and Transco contract workers union in several divisions including Aggar Nagar, Sunder Nagar, City Centre, Chhawni Mohalla, Jagraon and Lalton.
Voicing their concerns, union leaders alleged that despite repeated assurances, the authorities have failed to regularise the outsourced workers or provide them with fair wages, job security, and social benefits. “We have been working on the ground for years, handling public complaints and ensuring uninterrupted supply. Yet, we are treated as expendable labour without dignity or stability,” said Avtar Singh, West Circle head of the union in Ludhiana.
Explaining the impact of the strike, officials said that while the department is managing to resolve most of the consumer complaints registered daily, the response time for redressal has considerably increased due to the absence of these agitated workers.
According to data from the PSPCL central zone, a total of 8,748 complaints were registered across the district by Tuesday. Of these, 7,825 complaints have been resolved, while 923 remain pending. Officials said that although most complaints are being addressed, the pace of redressal has slowed due to the ongoing strike.
Gurpreet Mehdoodan, divisional president of the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees Federation, said the situation has remained manageable so far on Wednesday because the power demand across Ludhiana district has dropped significantly after the paddy harvesting season. “The number of complaints has reduced after paddy operations ended, which has prevented major disruptions. However, since CHB and CHW workers are the frontline force in addressing technical faults, the time taken to restore supply and resolve complaints has gone up,” he explained.
Post-paddy season maintenance affected
He added that the timing of the strike has posed a challenge, as the post-paddy period is critical for extensive maintenance and repair work of power lines and transformers. Every year, following the conclusion of the paddy season on September 31, PSPCL undertakes system wide maintenance and extension work to strengthen the electricity network and ensure reliable supply during the winter months and the next agricultural cycle.
“In such a situation, the absence of these outsourced workers has slowed down maintenance activities and could lead to delays in completing the scheduled work if the strike continued further,” Mehdoodan noted.
Notably, intensifying their agitation, the union has announced the next phase of statewide protests along with a continuous sit-in demonstration. The union stated that the complete strike will continue indefinitely, mounting pressure on the state government and PSPCL management to address their long-pending demands of job regularisation, adequate safety kits, proper compensation for the families of deceased workers who lost their lives due to electrocution among others.
According to a statement issued by the Powercom and Transco Contract Employees Union on Wednesday, they have announced to hold division-level protests across the state on October 30, followed by protest marches in major cities. The union will launch a continuous sit-in outside the PSPCL head office in Patiala on October 31, where workers are expected to participate, along with their families.
