A series of protest rallies continues against the repressive measures taken toward employees who were forcibly transferred to CPDL from the Chandigarh Administration without their consent.

A series of protest rallies continues against the repressive measures taken toward employees who were forcibly transferred to CPDL from the Chandigarh Administration without their consent

A call for a decisive, all-out struggle will be announced on November 3rd.

Chandigarh 29 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The series of protest rallies continues against the repressive measures being directed at employees who were forcibly transferred to CPDL from the Chandigarh Administration without their consent. As part of this ongoing struggle, a rally was held today in front of the Electricity Office in Sector 35. Addressing the rally, Union President Amrik Singh, General Secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi, Senior Vice-Presidents Sukhvinder Singh Sidhu, Harjinder Singh, Virendra Singh, and others alleged that due to the negative stance of the Chandigarh Administration and the CPDL management, several long-standing demands remain unaddressed. 

These include: retaining the government-employee status for staff transferred from the Administration to the private company (CPDL) and adjusting them into other departments under the Administration; providing pensions, GPF, gratuity, and other retirement benefits to those who retired before completing their probationary period; granting pending promotions unconditionally; cancelling the examination required for the regularization of contractual employees and instead absorbing them based on seniority and their extensive experience; converting part-time positions into full-time roles; implementing circulars regarding promotion scales (as adopted from the Finance Department) and the Assured Career Progression Scheme (ACPS); disbursing outstanding increments following the completion of the probationary period; facilitating the timely withdrawal of GPF for purposes such as children's weddings or housing loans; taking action against officials who failed to deposit NPS contributions into the PFRDA fund despite deducting them from employees' salaries; granting an additional 2% 'DC rate' (Deputy Commissioner rate) to contractual employees who have completed five years of continuous service; restoring the previous system of housing allotment; reimbursing medical bills for pensioners; and ensuring the payment of bonuses to all outsourced employees before Diwali. Union representatives have strongly condemned the Chandigarh Administration’s decision to invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) against electricity workers employed by CPDL. They described this as a despicable attempt to suppress the employees' voices rather than addressing their legitimate demands. They further alleged that, under the guise of ESMA, the private company is subjecting workers to oppression and excesses instead of fulfilling their demands. 

They warned that neither the government nor the company will succeed in silencing the employees through such undemocratic measures; on the contrary, the opposition against this tyranny, harassment, humiliation, and oppression will only grow stronger. Criticizing the Chandigarh Administration and CPDL, they alleged that the Administration continues to shirk its responsibilities by pushing employees into a private company without clearly defining their service conditions or employment status. Meanwhile, local CPDL officials—rather than seeking concrete solutions to the workers' grievances—are using retired, already discredited officials to harass and humiliate the staff. These officials are pressuring workers to perform tasks outside their official duties and are disregarding safety protocols. Furthermore, these individuals are drawing substantial salaries from the company while being involved in various forms of malpractice; by harassing the staff to secure their own positions, they are also causing significant financial loss to the company. Union representatives have urged the central leadership of CPDL to remove these officials, who are tarnishing the company's reputation. They emphasized that removing these individuals would not hinder operations but, rather, lead to improvements.

The representatives also warned everyone to be cautious of these retired officials, who are attempting to serve their own interests by inciting conflict between the employees and the company. He stated that if the demands are not resolved through discussions in a cordial atmosphere and the confrontation persists, the union will escalate its struggle to its peak. In coordination with consumers, the union will form 'Joint Coordination Committees' across neighborhoods, sectors, colonies, and villages. These committees will spearhead a joint campaign addressing issues faced by both consumers and employees—including problems related to solar power, the alleged irregularities within CREST, the implementation of smart meters, and the hike in electricity bills. During this period, protests—including the burning of effigies—will continue. A meeting of employees and consumers will be held during the sit-in (dharna) scheduled for November 3rd to determine the next course of action.