Thermal plant employees to show black flags to officers

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 15

Irked with the PSPCL management for not adhering to its promise of heeding the demands of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant workers, the GNDTP Employees Joint Forum has chalked out a protest plan.

The staff argued that during a meeting held on April 7 with the PSPCL management, all demands were discussed.

On April 10, the management and staff reached an agreement as per which the management had asked for a month’s time to fulfil the promises, but the management is yet to do what it promised.

As per the plan, the protest will begin on May 18. The protesters have decided to burn effigies of the PSPCL management and state government outside all PSPCL offices across the state. They would also welcome the officers with black flags.

A state-level rally will be held outside the main office of the PSPCL in Patiala and a strike will be observed in the last week of June.

The forum members said they demanded resumption of work of both thermal plants in Bathinda and Ropar, apart from a review of the power purchase agreements signed with private thermal plants.

The other demands include newly recruited employees to be given salaries as pr the revised pay grade, jobs of those working on contractual basis be regularised, regularisation of jobs of workers who have been employed on outsourcing basis, filling of vacant posts in the establishment through regular recruitment to lessen the workload on the existing employees, implementation of one job one pay rule, the procedure of promotion of employees be started again and doing away with the unnecessary rules for promotions.

The employees have urged the PSPCL management to fulfil its promise as soon as possible and prevent them from taking to the protest path.