Hoshiarpur- Powercom and Transco Contract Workers Union Punjab is continuously struggling to achieve its rightful and legitimate demands. Sharing the information of the meeting, State President Balihar Singh Kataria, State General Secretary Rajesh Kumar Maur, State Assistant Secretary Tek Chand, Office Secretary Sher Singh, Press Secretary Inderpreet Singh said that continuous protests are being held for the demand of regularizing outsourced contract workers directly in the department, implementing the minimum living wage under 1948 or the 15th Labor Conference, canceling the privatization policy and closing the contract system, including guaranteeing permanent job pension to workers who died due to electrocution and became disabled.
After the meeting with the Finance Minister yesterday, a meeting was held with the Chief Minister, Mr. Bhagwant Mann, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh and Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister and the Principal Secretary/CMD of the Power Department, the Principal Secretary Finance Department and the Principal Secretary Personnel Department officials at the Police Academy floor. Due to the Chief Minister's ill health, this meeting was held through PC and the rest of the officials including the Power Minister were present.
After a long discussion in the meeting, the leaders of the contract workers' organization demanded that the outsourced contract workers be directly included in the department, that salaries be released as per the Minimum Living Wage Act of 1948 or as per the instructions of the 15th Labor Conference and that the privatization of the power sector be canceled, the contractor system be canceled and that the heirs of the contract workers who lost their lives due to electrocution be guaranteed job pension.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had assured that the demands of the Power Minister, including direct inclusion of outsourced contract workers in the department, preparation of drafts and increase in salaries, should be settled by the Chief Minister and another meeting would be held with the organization within 15 days. A written letter of all these demands was issued by the Manager IR PSPCL. The organization had postponed its strike program.
The government and the board management were warned that if the issue was not resolved within 15 days, all the CHB contract workers would be forced to strike again, but today, despite the passage of more than 15 days, the Chief Minister deferred it and new companies were appointed in the power department for new tenders and old dues of crores of rupees were not released to the old companies. The old contractors and companies were looted blindly by the contract workers.
Due to which the contract workers demanded that the contractor companies be removed and the contract workers be regularized directly in the electricity department and minimum living wage be implemented and in case of an accident, a permanent job and a permanent pension should be guaranteed to the family member.
There is huge resentment among the contract workers as these demands are not resolved. Today, the contract workers of the electricity department decided to go on a complete strike and stage a protest in front of the head office of Power Com on July 3, 2025 and decided to continue the struggle continuously if the demands are not resolved.