Board's unbundling: Employees step up protest
TNN 10 December 2009
LUDHIANA: Since the last date for unbundling of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is approaching, employees have stepped up their protest against the move. On Friday, they went for a day-long strike to urge state government to retract its decision. They are demanding that state government should review the payscales in light of the fifth pay commission because they have disturbed the uniformity in their payscales.

On Friday, employees staged a protest rally in various divisions including Ludhiana, Jagraon, Lalton Kalan, Adda Dakha and Ahmedgarh. Through their protest, they are demanding that state government should pass a resolution in state assembly and Power Act 2003 should be suspended, as has been done by Tamil Nadu government. Employees are of the view that the unbundling would increase privatization and working would thus be affected. Government is to take the decision by December 15 as they have been given this timeframe by the Centre.

Employees are demanding uniformity in payscales because earlier, their salaries used to increase at a uniform rate but under this pay revision, salaries of officials have increased 2.61 times while for lower-level employees, the pay has increased 1.86 times. Employees maintain that there is more risk in their job as compared to that in other work, but government is ignoring the fact. They said they would fight for their rights till government agrees to their demands. They further said government should change its decision to issue a chargesheet against employees involved in the rallies.

Iqbal Singh, secretary of technical service union, said the agitation would continue unless government reverses its decision on the board’s unbundling. He said they were demanding uniformity in their payscales because government had changed the pattern. He said they were on a one-day strike and around 98% employees were holding rallies. Other employees were on duty to remove any fault in power, because they did not want to create problems for public. In case government did not listen to them, they would go on an indefinite strike, he added.