PSEB employees observe strike
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 10
In protest against the unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), employees of the board from across the state observed strike today. PSEB employees associations, various employees unions and federations also staged protest demonstrations and dharna’s at the circle level. Because of the strike, the cash counters and the complaint centres wore a deserted look.

Notably, the Employees Joint Forum is a conglomerate of several employees unions, including Employees Federation (Pehalwan), Federation (AITUC), Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Electricity Employees Front, Workers Federation (INTUC) and Ministerial Service Union. As per the information, though in the rural areas, almost 90 per cent of the employees remained on strike but the affect of strike was not much in PSEB Headquarters, Patiala.

Reports from various parts of the state revealed that employees took out impressive protest rallies in Ludhiana, Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Taran Taran, Nawashahr, Bathinda, Muktsar, Faridkot, Khanna, Mohali and Sangrur. Likewise, employees stationed at the Ropar, Bathinda and Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plants and Shahpur Kandi, Ganguwala, Anandpur Sahib, UBDC Pathankot Hydel Projects also participated in the protest rallies.

Addressing the protesters, spokesman of Joint Forum Manjit Singh Chahal said massive protests by the PSEB employees across the state has made it clear that employees won’t allow the state government to take wrong decisions, including unbundling of the PSEB.

“The recommendations of Wage Formulation Committee (WFC) are not being followed. The rate of increment had been kept at 3 per cent instead of 3.5 per cent mentioned in the WFC,” rued the protesting employees, while demanding that 20,000 vacancies of employees in the PSEB should be filled without any delay. The protesters also demanded that in case PSEB management fails to concede to their demands, they will intensify their agitation in the coming days.

Meanwhile, in a release issued here this evening, senior officials of PSEB stated, “Board is thankful to the officers, supervisors and employees, who attended duties, despite the unjustified call for strike given by a section of PSEB employees unions.”

Officials further claimed that adequate arrangements were made for smooth and normal power supply to the consumers. “Office work in all the cities functioned smoothly. All the Thermal and Hydro Generation Plants functioned operated normally and smoothly,” claimed PSEB officials.