The indefinite strike by nearly 1,700 contractual employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) can lead to disruptions and repair delays amid high demand in view of the summer season.
As the system now operates online and regular employees already working on a “work-to-rule” basis (when staff strictly adhere to terms of employment terms and don’t take up additional tasks), absence of contractual workers could bring services to a standstill.
Nodal Complaint Centre (NCC) staff is responsible for forwarding consumer complaints and Customer Relations Clerk (CRC) employees handle consumer interactions.
Under the banner of the Outsource Employees Federation Punjab, workers employed in NCC, CRC, storage and metering labs stopped work from midnight and staged rallies across divisions. They submitted memorandums to executive engineers (XENs).
The protesters pressed for a clear policy for regularisation of services. At the Sundar Nagar division, Kewal Singh Banwait, state vice-president of Powercom & Transco Pensioners’ Union (AITUC), and Gurpreet Singh, state secretary of PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), said the joint front had long been pressing for regularisation.
“These workers are backbone of consumer services, and denying them regularisation is unjust,” said Gurpreet Singh.
“We are postgraduates working for just Rs 12,000 to Rs 14,000 a month,” said a protester.
At the same time, regular staff are preparing to gherao Chief Minister’s Sangrur residence on May 24, for their demands regarding dearness allowance (DA) and salaries.
