Power unions call off strike after government clears employee demands

After a meeting with Punjab’s Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO, held today in Patiala, the PSEB Employees Joint Forum and Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch Punjab announced that they are calling off their strike. The strike had hit power services in many parts of Punjab, following staff shortage in the field.

During the meeting, the leaders of the unions were provided with a copy of the “Minutes of Meeting”, which approved the demands put forth by the employee unions during meetings held on August 10 and 14. These meetings were held under the chairmanship of Harpal Singh Cheema, Finance Minister of Punjab, and Harbhajan Singh ETO, Power Minister of Punjab, with the PSPCL administration at Punjab Bhawan and the PSPCL Guest House in Chandigarh.

Addressing a press conference on the matter, the Power Minister stated that an agreement on the demands has been reached after a series of talks between the union leaders and the government. He added that approval from the Board of Directors of PSPCL to implement these demands will be sought soon, and that any demands requiring approval from the Punjab Cabinet will also be obtained soon.

The Power Minister took this opportunity to thank the leaders and members of all the unions who accepted the government’s appeal and returned to work. He emphasised that the period until September 30 is crucial for PSPCL, as a smooth power supply is essential during summer to meet the electricity needs of households and for irrigating the paddy crop.

He said that CM Bhagwant Mann’s vision is to provide as many jobs as possible to the people of Punjab. Working in this direction, the Punjab Government has provided more than 55,000 jobs in the last three and a half years.

He added that the unions had demanded further recruitment in PSPCL and PSTCL. He informed that the government has so far recruited more than 7,000 employees in PSPCL and PSTCL, and approximately 5,500 more recruitments will be completed by the end of this year. Additionally, a union demand for the recruitment of 11,000 more employees has also been accepted. Similarly, the ex-gratia amount has been increased to Rs 35 lakh.

Moreover, a committee has been formed to address the demands of outsourced and contract employees. As soon as this committee submits its report, it will be implemented.

In conclusion, the Power Minister said that the people of Punjab will not face any problems, and the state government is ready to accept every legitimate demand of government employees.