Chandigarh power employees to strike work on July 9

Members of the UT Powermen Union have decided to go on strike on July 9 over their unfulfilled demands.

Union general secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi stated today that they discussed 11-point demands with Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL) Director Arun Kumar Verma. Their major demands include the property of state transmission utility should be kept with the Chandigarh Administration so that the employees can be accommodated; the employees be accommodated in other departments as has been done in the case of PWD employees and transfers made on a pick-and-choose basis be reviewed.

The union has also demanded that the transferred employees should be considered as deemed deputation in CPDL and their pension benefits and other terminal liabilities paid by the Chandigarh Administration. Promotions, seniority of employees should be done on the basis of existing rules without any delay and eligible employees be adjusted directly against quota posts. The contract employees should be taken on the roll of the CPDL as before and working hours and wages of existing part time employees must be protected, demands the union.

Instead of giving a satisfactory answer to their demands, the officials shied away by saying that they will write to the administration, said Joshi. He said no one was ready to take responsibility of the employees shifted from the administration to the CPDL. The union unanimously declared to go on strike on July 9, he said.