Preparations are in full swing for the sit-in protest to be held by electricity department employees on October 19 against the CPDL and the administration

Preparations are in full swing for the sit-in protest to be held by electricity department employees on October 19 against the CPDL and the administration

Chandigarh 15 October ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : A 'gate meeting' was held today at the electricity office in Sector 43 to discuss preparations for a protest—called by the UT Power Man Union, Chandigarh—against the Chandigarh Administration and CPDL, which is scheduled to take place on October 19 in front of the electricity office in Sector 17. The gate meeting was addressed by union president Amrik Singh, general secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi, senior vice-president Sukhwinder Singh Sidhu, Gurmeet Singh, joint secretary Harjinder Singh, Virendra Singh, Surjit Singh, and others. Addressing a 'gate meeting' (a protest meeting held at the workplace entrance), the speakers strongly condemned the Chandigarh Administration and the CPDL management. They alleged that due to the negative stance taken by both the Administration and CPDL, several demands remain unaddressed—leading to widespread resentment among the employees. These pending demands 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; expediting long-overdue promotions; cancelling the examination mandated for the regularization of contractual employees and instead absorbing them into the company based on seniority and their extensive experience; converting part-time positions into full-time roles; implementing promotional pay scales and the Assured Career Progression (ACP) scheme; clearing probation periods and disbursing outstanding increments; providing risk-duty allowances, shift-duty allowances, and electricity allowances to electricity department staff based on the nature of their work; ensuring basic office amenities such as adequate seating, drinking water, and stationery; and granting an additional 2% over the DC (Deputy Commissioner) rate to contractual employees who have completed five years of continuous service.

The speakers stated that, on one hand, the Chandigarh Administration—acting illegally, unilaterally, and arbitrarily—has effectively sold off government employees to a private company as if they were mere commodities, doing so without their consent and washing its hands of the matter, thereby leaving the employees to fend for themselves. On the other hand, the company is treating these employees unfairly; instead of addressing their problems and grievances, it has adopted a dismissive and confrontational stance. Furthermore, the very nature of the employees' work is being completely altered, and they are being subjected to harassment.

The speakers expressed deep concern and indignation over the fact that retired officers from certain specific departments are being deployed to subject employees to mental harassment; it appears as though they have been retained by the company solely to trouble and distress the staff. These very officers—who, during their previous tenure, were responsible for the deterioration of the department—are now, through their negative approach, not only harassing employees but also causing ongoing losses to the company. The speakers have demanded that the senior management of the RPSG Group immediately remove these corrupt retired employees.

The speakers stated that discussions regarding their demands were held with the CPDL management on July 21. Following assurances that these demands would be implemented, a planned protest for July 22 was called off; however, two months later, all the demands remain unaddressed. The administration has shirked its responsibility regarding the promotion of regular employees, leaving positions that became vacant in February 2025 still unfilled. The company has also reneged on its promise to absorb contract employees into its regular rolls; instead, it is now attempting to oust them by proposing a UPSC-level examination. Furthermore, despite a case being pending in court, employees are being threatened with termination and the denial of promotions if they fail to submit their Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs). Union office-bearers have urged all employees to participate in large numbers in the protest scheduled for October 19.