Patiala- Technical Services Union Reg Circle Patiala and CHB workers issued a statement to the press today on 29 April 2025 and said that comrade Harjit Singh President TSU Circle Patiala, former Vice President Punjab Vijay Dev, Powercom and Transco Contract Employees Union Circle Patiala held a convention and called the preparation to hand over the reins of two divisions of the Electricity Corporation Kharar and Lalru to private hands as another step towards privatization of the power sector and strongly condemned it. Regular, outsourced employees and pensioners of entire Patiala strongly condemned this decision of the government against employees, outsourced, pensioners and consumer farmers.
The leaders said through the press statement that on the recommendation of the Punjab Development Commission (PDC), the officials of the Electricity Corporation had to present the data of privatization of two divisions of the state, Kharar and Lalru, in the meeting on April 21. Against this attack of the government, the electricity employees of the whole of Punjab raised their voice and warned the government that privatization will not be accepted under any circumstances.
As a result of which the management had to cancel the meeting. We appeal to all the employees, pensioners and contract employees of the Technical Service Association of Patiala Circle that even though the management has had to take a U-turn due to your struggle, they have not given up their anti-people privatization policy. Therefore, everyone should be ready that there is an urgent need to unite and struggle on a large scale to get the privatization policy canceled.
The employee leaders told that after the privatization of Chandigarh Electricity Board, regular employees, pensioners and outsourced employees are being harassed by the company, their previous services have been terminated and they have been kept on a probation period of one year on very bad conditions. Preparations are being made to remove the outsourced employees and it has not been decided yet who will give pension to the pensioners. Therefore, a huge attack has been made on all of us employees, pensioners and consumers by this government and management.
We should strongly oppose this. Privatisation should not be accepted under any circumstances. We strongly oppose this decision of CHV employees whose contract is being terminated on 30th April and demand from the management and the government to retain their employment as soon as possible. We will make every effort to cancel this privatisation policy.
Today on 29th April 2025, a big conference of a group of electricity employees, pensioners and CHB employees was organized on this issue in Patiala. The comrades also participated in it enthusiastically.
Dilpreet Singh, Bikkar Khan, Karamjit Singh, Bhagwan Singh, Vijay Dev, Jatinder Chadha, Gurdeep Singh, Inderjit Singh, Baresh Kumar and comrades participated in today's conference. Apart from this, State President Shri Krishna Singh Aulakh and State General Secretary Jaswinder Singh addressed the conference.
All the leaders said in their address that May Day on 1st May 2025 will be celebrated as Anti-Privatisation Day in Patiala with brotherhood organizations. Powercom & Transco Contract Employees Union, Technical Service Union, Water Supply Union and Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Gurha, Pesco Union will participate in it.