Delay in Conceding Demands
Engineers put power companies on notice
Manish Sirhindi
Tribune News Service

Panipat, June 24
The Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) has decided to launch an agitation in protest against the non-fulfilment of their demands pending for the last two years and have served a 45-day notice to four power utilities.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the executive committee of the association.

The engineers lamented that the management had paid no heed to their demands despite repeated requests, leaving them with no other option but to take the path of confrontation to get their demands accepted.

RS Dahiya, president, Haryana Power Engineers Federation, said the engineers had served a 45-day ultimatum on the utilities to solve their problems or face protests.

The engineers had been demanding parity in the pay scales of assistant engineers (AE) working in discoms and their counterparts in other departments. Though Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited (HPGCL) has granted a pay scale of Rs 14,880 to the AEs, the other three utilities have so far denied this scale to their engineers.

Dahiya said the AEs of the neighbouring states were better placed in terms of pay scales as they drew an initial salary of Rs14,880 with a grade pay of Rs 5,400, which was not the case in Haryana.

The association had also been demanding the filling of vacant posts in the power utilities, including those of its chairman and director.

Engineers rue deduction from pay

The association said deductions were being made from their salaries for the increments given at the time of promotion, change of grade pay and at the time of grant of time scales. Stating that this had demoralised the engineers, the association contended that the move even contravened the circulars issued by the state government.