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Ludhiana: PSPCL mulls hiring more men as outsourced staff stir drags on
Strike hits complaint handling, billing and other services; officials fear fresh recruits may take time to learn systems and workflows
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is weighing the replacement of its outsourced workforce, which has been on strike for nearly four weeks, but officials fear bringing in fresh manpower could further disrupt consumer services before operations stabilise.
The proposed move is being considered if Monday’s talks between PSPCL management and representatives of the protesting employees fail to end the deadlock. A meeting between PSPCL CMD Dr Basant Garg and the employees’ representatives was scheduled for Monday evening. At the time of filing this report, there was no word on the outcome of the meeting.
The strike has affected outsourced employees working at Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Customer Relation Centres (CRCs)/Suvidha Centres, metering laboratories, stores and cash sections. Their absence has slowed complaint processing, new electricity connections, meter transfers, load changes and other backend operations across PSPCL’s Central Zone.
Officials said replacing the striking employees could help address the immediate manpower shortage, but new recruits would need time to familiarise themselves with PSPCL’s complaint-management systems, consumer-service procedures and internal workflows. This could prolong delays, particularly at NCCs, which serve as the first point of contact for complaints lodged through the 1912 helpline.
“Consumers often think the fault lies with the JE or field staff, but in many cases complaints are not even reaching them on time. NCC operations require trained personnel who understand the system,” a senior PSPCL official said.
Chief engineer, Central Zone, Jagdev Singh Hans said the department was hopeful of a resolution through the talks. “If the employees return to work, services can gradually normalise. However, if the strike continues indefinitely, the department will have to explore alternative arrangements to ensure consumer services are not held hostage,” he said.
The possibility of replacing the workforce comes months after PSPCL inducted fresh personnel to deal with a prolonged agitation by meter readers. The meter readers’ protest had affected billing operations, with a large number of N-Code bills based on estimated consumption being generated during the May-June billing cycle. The induction of new personnel was subsequently undertaken to restore meter-reading operations.
Officials fear a similar transition could create difficulties this time, given the wider range of functions handled by the striking outsourced staff. The impact is already being felt at Suvidha Centres across the Central Zone’s four operation circles — East, West, Suburban and Khanna — where consumers have reported longer queues and repeated visits for routine services.
The outsourced employees have been demanding direct contractual engagement with PSPCL. They maintain that workers deployed at NCCs, CRCs, Suvidha Centres, metering laboratories and stores have served the corporation for more than a decade and deserve a more secure service arrangement.
The employees began their indefinite strike on July 23 and have maintained that they will continue the agitation until the government gives them a written and implementable decision. They said assurances given by the power minister on May 24 and subsequent meetings with officials had not resulted in a concrete resolution.
Federation leaders have warned of intensifying the agitation if the latest round of talks fails to produce a settlement.
