Powermen get salary for their strike days

KARNAL: The stiff posture of the employees of Haryana’s power distribution companies has forced the government to clear their salary for the days they were on strike in May and June.

The state government that had earlier imposed Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and ‘no work, no pay’ rule, to stop them from joining the protest, has cleared their pending salaries for May 11 and June 29 and 30.

Sources in the Uttar Haryana Bijali Vitaran Nigam (UHBVN) told Hindustan Times that the government had to take the U-turn following pressure from the 23,000 employees of both distribution (UHBVN and DHBVN) companies. The employees had been on strike against the outsourcing of operation and maintenance of 23 power sub-divisions in the state. “Yes, the government has agreed to clear the dues of the employees who had participated in the strikes,” said a UHBVN official on condition of anonymity.

On the other hand the contractual employees of the same departments are facing heat for participating in the same protests as they alleged that the government had deducted their wages for the days they were on strike. “I did not get salary for May 11 and June 30 despite we were trying to resume the power supply as per government directions,” said a contractual employee working with the UHBVN at Yamunanagar.

“It is surprising that the government has decided to pay salaries of the regular employees only. This shows the double standards.”

The contractual employees also alleged that the regular employees, who have all powers and direct approach the senior officers of the department, force them to join their protest to make their strike successful, but during talks with the government, they never raise their issues.

It is pertinent to mention here that the electricity supply remained suspended for more than 20 hours in several parts of Karnal, Yamunanagar, Kaithal, Kurukhsetra and Panipat and other districts of the state, when the power department employees went on strike on May 11.

Again on June 29 and 30, the employees were on strike despite governments’ enforcing the ESMA. The government took help of thousands of the youths from ITIs and other private contractors to maintain electricity supply during strike.