Punjab Powercom Engineers to agitate over delay in signing tripartite agreement

Vinod Kumar Gupta
Tuesday, 06 July 2010
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Powercom (PSEB)Engineers would agitate over the delay to sign tripartite agreement between Punjab Government, Powercom and employees to protect their service conditions and pensionary benefits.

PSEB Engineers Association executive in its emergency meeting decided to launch an agitation over the delay to fulfill assurances given by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during the time of unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board. The agitation action plan would be announced soon.

It may be mentioned that PSEB Engineers Association had supported the reform process in PSEB and before restructuring the PSEB, Badal assured the engineers and employees that their services and pension benefits would be protected in the new set up. They were told that a tripartite agreement between the State, management of companies and the association would be immediately signed after the Cabinet decides to unbundle the board, as has been done in all other states.

Bhupinder Singh General Secretary of Association said in a press note that even after nearly three months, the process has not begun. He further said the tripartite agreement was of paramount importance since financial status of the State and the board’s successor companies was bad. PSEB had utilized over Rs 1,800 crore from the Employees’ Provident Fund and the State had neither created a statutory fund/trust nor has extended any solemn guarantee for payment of retirement benefits or provident fund withdrawal.

Regarding pay scales the Government had assured that a committee would be set up within one month after unbundling to settle the pay related issues. Till date no committee has been formed to recommend the earlier pay differential of PSEB engineers with government engineers.

HS Bedi President of Association said that in neighboring Himachal the Government, had not only signed the agreement but got the transfer scheme notification approved too, assuring common seniority, no further unbundling of corporations and guarantee for salary/pension.