Employees of the Haryana State Electricity Board Workers’ Union staged a four-hour protest at the Electricity Board complex on Barnala Road on Tuesday, demanding that the state government and power utility management address their long-pending issues.
The protest, held from 10 am to 2 pm, was organised on the directions of the union’s central council. Union leaders alleged that despite several rounds of talks with the management, the employees’ genuine demands had not been resolved.
Addressing the gathering, state press secretary Shyam Lal Khod said the union had repeatedly raised the employees’ concerns with the authorities, but no concrete action had been taken. He claimed the proposed Haryana Agri DISCOM would be harmful to both farmers and power employees and urged the government to withdraw the plan.
State joint secretary Devi Lal Birda and state adviser Ram Sharan accused the management of ignoring the employees’ demands and implementing policies that were increasing financial, administrative and mental pressure on the workforce. They said repeated representations and meetings had failed to bring any positive response.
State deputy chief organiser Suresh Kadwasra said the union would intensify its agitation against the online transfer policy, staff shortage, pending demands and other “anti-employee” decisions. The union leaders also demanded a transparent transfer policy, adjustment of employees to their home circles, job security for HKRNL workers, equal pay for equal work, and the resumption of inter-utility transfers.
Circle secretary Satinder Monga announced that the power employees from across Haryana would gherao the residence of Haryana Power Minister Anil Vij in Ambala on July 2 if their demands were not met.
The union also opposed any move to privatise the power sector, saying it would continue its struggle to protect the employees’ rights, job security and the public electricity distribution system. Hundreds of employees from Sirsa, Dabwali and other subdivisions participated in the protest.
