PSPCL contractual staff stage dharna in Ludhiana, flay Punjab CM for ‘betrayal’

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, February 24

Charging the Punjab Government with backing out from its assurance given to CHB&W and betraying the aggrieved contractual employees, the CHB&W (complaint handling bikes and wagons) staff of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited today staged a dharna, along with their family members at mini secretariat to press their demand for regularisation of contractual workers and provision for regular job on compensatory grounds for eligible family member of victims of electrocution accidents.

Balihar Singh Kataria, state president of the Employees’ Union, Rajesh Kumar Maur, Parminder Singh, Chaudhar Singh Ajay Kumar and other functionaries said the AAP had come to power on the promise of regularisation of jobs of contractual workers but after being voted to power, the ruling party backed out.

The AAP government, like all the previous dispensations that have ruled in the state, is moving on the path of privatisation of all govt departments. Trade union leaders

“No contract employee has been given regular job and on the top of it, outsourced workers and those falling victims to accidents during fault rectification were left to fend for themselves. AAP government, like all the previous governments that have ruled in the state, is moving on the path of privatisation of all government departments,” said the trade union leaders.

Slamming the Chief Minister and the Power Minister for being grossly indifferent towards contract employees, the representatives of CHB&W staff lamented that their colleagues were putting their lives in danger to maintain the power supply throughout the state but government had failed to find an amicable solution for adequate compensation/pension to victims of fatal accidents or providing jobs on compassionate ground to their dependents.

The protesting employees warned the government against resorting to any new (direct) recruitment by ignoring contractual as well as CHB&W workers. Before recruitment of new linemen, the existing contractual employees be provided regular jobs, victims of electrocution accidents be ensured free of cost treatment and compensatory job to their eligible family member and the contract employees be given minimum wages fixed by the government under relevant acts.

Kataria made it clear that if the government continued to ignore their genuine demands, they would have to resort to agitational approach and a call would be given to show black flags to Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues during their visits to towns and villages all over the state.

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