Say revised pay scales not implemented
Tribune News Service

Patiala, October 1
On the call given by the Coordination Committee of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) employees and officers constituting the PSEB Joint Forum, PSEB Engineers Association, Council of JE’s, General Officers Association and Accounts Officers Organisation, the employees and officers, including the Chief Engineer today staged a protest demonstration and took out a rally against the non-implementation of the revised pay scales, as agreed by the PSEB through the Wage Formulation Committees.

While addressing the dharna outside the PSEB headquarters here this morning, various union leaders, including HS Bedi, Bhupinder Singh, Jagtar Singh Uppal and Karam Chand Bhardwaj, criticised the state government for interfering in the pay revision exercise of the PSEB. “As per the section 79-C of the 1948 Supply Act, the board is autonomous and is empowered to devise the pay structure of its employees and officers. In the past also the PSEB had been revising the pay scales of its employees without any interference from the government”, said union leaders.

The speakers rued that this time that the state government was forcing the board management to enforce downgraded pay structure. Bedi said on one hand the state government was conceding in writing that the PSEB was autonomous to devise the pay scales and on the other hand, the government was dictating its own terms.

While condemning the state bureaucracy, protesting officers and employees said that although the state government employees had been given revised pay scales from August 1, 2009 and IAS officers had even withdrawn their arrears but the PSEB employees and officers were being denied the benefit of the revised pay scales.

The union leaders expressed resentment for the failure of the board management to fulfil its commitment of revising the pay scales from September 2009. The protesters have threatened to intensify the agitation in case the recommendations of the Wage Formulation Committee were not implemented immediately.

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