Punjab power employees to go on day-long strike on Aug 28

Power employees in Punjab under the banner of PSEB Employees Joint Forum will observe a one-day strike on August 28 in protest against the state government and the management for allegedly not resolving their pending issues including anomalies in wages.
As many as 12 employees associations including TSU, MSU, Thermal Employees Coordination Committee, Workers Federation have formed a PSEB Employees Joint Forum to press for their demands.
"We have a given a call of one day strike on August 28. No complaint with regard to power failure or breakdown will be redressed on that day," said PSEB Employees Joint Forum Secretary K C Bhardwaj today.

He claimed almost 60 per cent of total staff strength of 47,000 employees will join strike.
"There is an anomaly in the payment of wages which has not been settled by the state government despite making several representations in this regard," Bhardwaj said.
"We want our wages should be on par with that of employees working in state power department," he said.

Bhardwaj also sought framing of promotion policy for employees which has been long-pending. "We also want that services of contractual workers who have been working in PSPCL should be regularised," he said.
Employees also demanded fixation of working hours in a day as they had to work for long hours because of no working hours schedule set by the PSPCL.

"We have to work for 12-15 hours a day as there is a heavy work load on employees because of lesser number of staff," he said.
However, toughening its stand against the proposed strike, power utility Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has decided to enforce 'no work no pay' rule on the strike day.
Meanwhile, PSPCL authorities have said it was committed to provide uninterrupted supply to power consumers.
It has warned contractual workers that it would suspend them if they participate in the strike. It would also stop pension benefits of striking employees, who are retiring in 2014-15.