Victory after protest: Punjab State Power Corpn employees receive full salary
During the joint protest rallies, employees were granted a lump sum payment of Rs 30,000, while pensioners received Rs 20,000, irrespective of their regular remunerations.
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Protest by PSPCL employees outside the main gate of PSPCL head office in Patiala on Thursday afternoon. (Express Photo)A day after nearly 30,000 employees of Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) went on protest after receiving only a partial salary on Thursday evening, the management disbursed the full salaries and pensions to the employees on Friday. Sources revealed that reserve funds of PSPCL were used to give salaries.
The delay in payments was attributed to the non-payment of subsidy bills and outstanding amounts by Punjab Government departments, amounting to a total of 5400 crore and 3100 crore, respectively. Ajaypal Singh Atwal, the general secretary of Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) Engineers association, highlighted that this financial strain had created unrest among employees.
Earlier, employees were disbursed a lump sum payment of Rs 30,000, while pensioners received Rs 20,000, irrespective of their regular remunerations. The remaining salary and pension amounts remained uncertain, leaving employees in limbo.
Jasvir Singh Dhiman, president of the association, had expressed dissatisfaction, stating that despite the company’s recent profit announcement of Rs 564 crores, the delay in salaries and pensions undermined the efforts of employees who have been working diligently.
Atwal emphasised the financial struggle, mentioning that the total revenue earned in 2022-23 was approximately 45000 crores, but employees had to face a crisis in salary payments despite their significant contributions.
The association called out the government as one of the biggest defaulters, with around 3100 crores in pending electricity bills from various departments.
Furthermore, the association blamed costly power purchase agreements with private thermals, dismantling of key thermal plants in 2018, and increased expenses for power during peak hours, exacerbating the financial turmoil.
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