Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees have decided to temporarily postpone their mass leave following a meeting with power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO and other senior officials in Chandigarh. The meeting addressed several grievances, leading to the management issuing circulars that addressed four critical demands, including revisions of the dislocation and hardship allowances, pay band adjustments for Group III employees, and an increment as an advance promotional benefit.
The employees had initially been protesting over 15 demands, such as providing ₹1 crore compensation to the families of deceased employees, granting martyr status to those killed in workplace accidents, and offering cashless treatment for injured employees. The protests escalated into a 'work-to-rule' strike, wherein technical and clerical staff only performed their core duties.
Technical Services Union President Ratan Mujari expressed appreciation for the collective efforts of workers, while also apologizing to the public for the inconvenience caused during the strike. Meanwhile, PSPCL Chief Engineer Jagdev Singh Hans stated that nearly 1,600 complaints were received in Ludhiana during the strike, of which around 800 were resolved.
While the strike has been temporarily suspended, union leaders remain cautious, claiming that management still needs to address the root causes of dissatisfaction. Punjab State Electricity Boards Employees Federation's division president, Gurpreet Mehdoodan, criticised the department for assigning technical repair work to clerical staff, which he argued jeopardised their safety.
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