PSPCL protest intensifies in Ludhiana as outsourced staff join in
Ludhiana MC employees had also gone on mass leave in protest over their unresolved demands
The strike by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees got a shot in the arm after outsourced employees and complaint-handling staff also joined the statewide strike, which has been going on since July 21. The employees had also gone on mass leave in protest against their unresolved demands.
On the other hand, the PSPCL management has been repeatedly urging staff to return to duty, but the unions have continued the strike. In response, the management has invoked the strict ‘no work, no pay’ rule, saying that salaries of employees absent due to the strike will be deducted. A circular issued to all engineer-in-chiefs, general managers and chief engineers clarified that the strike period will be treated as absence from duty without pay.
The protesting employees have made it clear that they will continue their agitation until their demands are met and a notification is issued. The strike has severely disrupted electricity supply and administrative functioning, leaving consumers grappling with prolonged outages and unattended complaints. Nearly 40,000 complaints remain pending.
The standoff between PSPCL and the unions, which include the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Bijli Mulazim Ekta Manch Punjab, Association of Junior Engineers, Grid Sub-Station Employees Union and pensioners’ groups, is expected to intensify. These bodies have staged protests at the PSPCL and PSTCL offices, with pensioners’ wings even resorting to “jail bharo” demonstrations to mount pressure on the state government.
Gurpreet Singh Mahidudan, state secretary of the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), said that they would extend the strike beyond July 26 if their demands were not met. “We will only return to work when our demands will be accepted,” he said.
Talks underway with employees, says official
PSPCL Chief Engineer (Central Division) Jagdev Singh Hans said that talks with the employees’ union were underway and meetings were being held by senior officials as it was a state-wide strike. “We are doing our best for consumers so that they do not feel the heat of this strike,” he said.
Services hit
Electricity supply disruptions: With field staff absent, transformer failures and technical faults remain unattended, causing long blackouts in several areas.
Complaint redresssal halted: Offices are shut, leaving consumers unable to secure new connections, correct billing errors, or resolve routine issues.
