'Mahapanchayat' against govt move to rationalise posts
Employees of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board and allied organisations held a 'mahapanchayat' against the state government's decision to rationalise 700 posts.
The protesters took out a rally to Gandhi Chowk in Hamirpur and held a massive procession against the decision to remove some positions.
At the 'mahapanchayat', the Joint Struggle Committee of Board employees, engineers and pensioners termed the decision as anti-employees and anti-pensioners.
General secretary of the state electricity board employees union Hira Lal Verma, who is also the co-convener of the United Front of Ex-servicemen, said, "There is a lot of resentment among all the employees and pensioners across the state." Employees have been demanding restoration of the old pension scheme, continuation of posts, recruitment of class III and class IV employees and a permanent policy for outsourced employees.
Addressing the rally, Verma said that some people were working to destroy the electricity board "by giving wrong information" to the state government.
Protesters decided to hold their next district panchayat in Una on February 28. Electricity board staffers wore black badges to work on Monday and threatened to go on casual leave en masse on February 24 if the order is not withdrawn However, a spokesperson of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) said no posts have been abolished.
He said only "non-essential" positions have been adjusted and that a few people were "misleading the employees by spreading false information".
If any post had been abolished, they should provide official notification as proof, the spokesperson added.
