Protesting lineman apprentices remain defiant

Patiala: The standoff between protesting lineman apprentices and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) in Patiala has escalated after a police baton charge three days ago failed to break their sit-in. The 2,600-member Lineman Apprenticeship Union Punjab has now rejected the PSPCL's recruitment drive and plans to intensify its agitation.The union said its grievance arose from back-to-back written assurances that power department officials allegedly breached. It said apprentices held protests from April 9 to 27 and resumed duties on April 28 after management promised to schedule a mandatory Punjabi language qualification exam within a week.The union said another strike was called on May 7 after bureaucratic delays and disputed attendance records.Union members said officials gave a written commitment to resolve the issue and hold the exam by June 30, but two weeks have passed without any formal notification. The union said it began an indefinite protest in Patiala on June 1 near the PSPCL office."The turning point occurred on June 3 during a formal review meeting, where the PSPCL management abruptly reneged on conducting the Punjabi exam altogether. Instead, officials directed the candidates to finish their ongoing apprenticeship, promising a 35% reservation quota in future recruitments," said Manpreet, a member of the 2,600-member Lineman Apprenticeship Union.The union said hundreds of apprentices blocked the secondary gate of the PSPCL headquarters on June 5, after which local police carried out a lathi-charge that left several protesters hospitalised with grievous injuries.It said the protesters continued their protest after the violence, demanding a permanent solution.The PSPCL announced a direct recruitment campaign on Monday to fill 6,289 assistant lineman (ALM) vacancies. According to official circulars, the PSPCL opened 3,289 posts for candidates holding matriculation with a National Apprenticeship Certificate (NAC) in the lineman trade, and around 3,000 posts directly for ITI holders in electrician or wireman trades.The protesting union members condemned the advertisements, claiming there were currently no unengaged apprenticeship certificate holders in Punjab and that the criteria would effectively give state jobs to candidates from outside the state."We have already cleared our main computer-based test (CBT). By failing to accommodate us directly for ALM posts and ignoring our seniority, the govt is deliberately sidelining the local youth," said Satnam Singh, another union member.The union issued an ultimatum to the Punjab govt to promote the 2,600 active apprentices to the rank of assistant lineman. The protesters said that if the administration failed to act, the union would block the residences of ruling party MLAs, target the state power minister, and confront the govt during the upcoming election cycle.H K Trehan, director (commercial), PSPCL, could not be reached for a comment despite repeated attempts. However, a senior PSPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "The protesters want to be recruited without taking any exam, which is not possible. This has never happened in the past. The posts advertised on Monday had made eligible the ITI qualified protesters and even those who are not ITI qualified but have one year of NAC certificate."MSID:: 131590910 413 |