Ludhiana, April 20: Substation workers of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in Ludhiana, under the Grid Sangharsh Committee, have threatened to launch a protest over unpaid overtime wages and excessive workloads.
During a meeting held Saturday at the 66 KV substation near Fountain Chowk, workers accused PSPCL of ignoring long-pending demands related to working conditions and staff strength.
“There’s a serious shortage of substation attendants at more than 70 substations,” said Ashok Kumar, a committee member. “Many of us are being forced to work multiple shifts without proper rest. In some cases, a single worker is handling the entire substation, which is dangerous and unsustainable.”
Attendants claimed they are routinely denied weekly offs and gazetted holidays. The duty chart prescribes 115 working hours per post per month, yet many workers are managing with less than 50 hours of rest weekly. “This is affecting our health, morale, and efficiency,” Kumar added.
Union members also alleged that overtime payments have not been cleared for several months. “Unless our issues are resolved, we will have no choice but to escalate the agitation. We are ready to intensify our movement,” said Rakesh Kumar, another worker present at the meeting.
Other attendees included union members Balveer Chand, Pawan Kumar, Amritpal Singh, and Gurjeet Singh, who collectively demanded immediate recruitment and clearance of dues.
Responding to the concerns, PSPCL chief engineer (protection and maintenance wing) Punnardeep Singh Brar said, “Recruitment is underway through higher authorities. The Committee of Whole Time Directors is assessing overtime dues. Payments have been made to many employees, and pending amounts will be released soon.”
