The week-long strike by staff of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), which had affected power restoration work across Punjab, was called off in the early hours of Monday. The decision came after the Punjab government assured employees that their long-pending financial demands would be addressed within a fixed timeline.
The Joint Coordination Committee of PSPCL employees announced the withdrawal of the strike after a lengthy meeting with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema.
Employee representatives said the Finance Minister assured them that a panel set up to look into their financial demands would submit an interim report by July 31 and its final report by August 15. The committee will suggest how the PSPCL management can implement the employees' financial demands.
Union leaders said the government also agreed to another major demand related to electricity concessions for employees recruited after 2011. As per the employees, the PSPCL Board management has agreed to extend the power concession benefit to this group, settling an issue that had been pending for several years.
The strike was called off on its sixth day after almost the entire technical workforce joined the protest. This included linemen and assistant linemen who handle distribution lines and respond to power faults. Their absence delayed repair work, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, leaving many consumers without power for long periods after technical breakdowns.
The main demand of the unions was the implementation of the 'equal work, equal pay' principle. Employee leaders claimed that workers doing the same jobs within PSPCL were being paid differently because they were recruited through different channels or belonged to different employment categories. They said this wage gap had caused dissatisfaction among employees and sought equal pay for those performing similar duties.
The unions also demanded the regularisation of outsourced employees. They said thousands of contractual workers had been carrying out technical jobs similar to those performed by regular staff for years, but were paid much less and did not receive similar service benefits. Employee representatives said these issues had remained unresolved for several years.
Previous attempts to settle the dispute had not yielded results. A meeting lasting nearly six hours between Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond and representatives of the protesting unions on Saturday ended without a breakthrough.
The strike put considerable pressure on PSPCL operations at a time when electricity demand was high. To keep the power supply running, the corporation deployed clerical and accounting staff to monitor feeder operations, although they did not have technical maintenance training. Executive Engineers (XENs), Sub-Divisional Engineers (SDOs) and Junior Engineers (JEs) across the state worked longer shifts to oversee emergency repairs, supported by a limited outsourced workforce.
PSPCL management had earlier warned that the 'no work, no pay' rule would be applied if employees continued to stay away from duty. However, after the assurances given by the Finance Minister, the rule will not be enforced against employees who took part in the strike.
Employee organisations said they would closely track the government's progress on the commitments made during the talks. They expect the committee to meet the deadlines announced during the negotiations.
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