Power utilities ‘violating’ tripartite agreement

Tuesday, 18/09/2012

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120918/punjab.htm#1

Patiala : The Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association is up in arms against the managements of the two power utilities - Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) - for conducting separate recruitment of the employees and the proposed move to separate the cadre of the engineers between both the companies.

Association president Baldev Singh Sran said they had been requesting the managements of the PSPCL and the PSTCL through verbal and written communications to maintain common seniority and common cadre of engineers as decided during the unbundling of the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) in April 2010, but to no avail.

Sran said, “The issue of common seniority was one of the prime concerns of the association, which was agreed to by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. Thus it was

incorporated in the tripartite agreement between the Punjab Government, the managements of PSPCL/ PSTCL and trade unions and association.”

Association general secretary Sanjeev Sood said, “It is mentioned in the tripartite agreement that the employees will be transferable from one entity to another and thus their seniority and cadre will remain common.”

Sood said, “The managements of both the companies are conducting separate recruitment of engineers. The next likely move of both the companies will be to separate the common cadre of engineers, which will be detrimental to the promotional aspects of the employees.”

Representatives of the association said, “The agreed principle of maintaining common pay scales and allowances after unbundling for new employees is not followed by the power utilities, resulting in two scales and allowances for one cadre of employees.”

“The move is causing resentment and unrest amongst the engineers. The association shall be compelled to resort to agitation if common seniority and cadre is not maintained,” they said.

The association has appealed to the Chief Minister to intervene and direct the managements of the PSPCL and the PSTCL to maintain the sanctity and spirit of the tripartite agreement. “The companies should maintain common cadre, recruitment, seniority and pay scales,” demanded the association. 

Breaking Norms
The managements of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited are conducting separate recruitment of engineers

The next likely move of both the companies will be to separate the common cadre of engineers, which will be detrimental to the promotional aspects of the employees

The agreed principle of maintaining common pay scales and allowances after unbundling for new employees is not followed by the power utilities, resulting in two scales and allowances for one cadre of employees