Staff unions up in arms over power board unbundling
Say it’s been a fiasco in other states, threaten statewide stir
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Patiala, April 4
Reacting sharply to the decision to unbundle Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), various employees unions of the board today announced that they would strongly oppose the Punjab Government’s move and threatened massive protests and strikes across the state.

Terming the move anti-employee, Swaran Singh and Pal Singh Moga, representatives of the PSEB Joint Forum, Punjab, a conglomerate of various employee unions, said, “Unbundling would adversely affect board staff. There would be no certainty as to how issues related to the EPF, promotion policy, retirement benefits, balance pay revision issues, funds for unfunded liabilities and other benefits would be handled by the new companies post-unbundling.”

They said that the day the government issued the notification for unbundling, the agitation would be launched. “Any decision on unbundling has to be taken in prior consultation with employees unions,” they said, adding that a meeting of the PSEB Joint Forum had been convened for April 8 to chalk out a further course of action.

Council of Junior Engineers PSEB general secretary Davinder Singh said that unbundling of electricity boards in other states had not yielded positive results. “The Punjab Government should desist from taking any decision that is against the interest of employees. In coordination with other unions, we would definitely go on strike if the government goes ahead with unbundling,” he announced.

PSEB Diploma Engineers’ Association general secretary SS Gill echoed a similar plan of action. “All employees are united on this issue and we won’t allow the government to plunge the future of thousands of employees into darkness,” he said.

PSEB Technical Service Union circle secretary BD Sharma said that they would stage dharnas at various circle offices of the board from April 7 to 12.

PSEB Engineers’ Association president HS Bedi said that their association was committed to introducing meaningful reforms but would reject halfhearted attempt to unbundle the existing structure just to comply with the Electricity Act, 2003.

Leaders of various other PSEB unions also demanded that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal convene an immediate meeting to discuss the crucial issue with board staff before issuing the notification