Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU/SRINAGAR, Sept 17: Employees of Power Development Department (PDD) today staged protest demonstrations both at Jammu and Srinagar against the move of the Government to unbundle the department.
Led by the Power Employees Coordination Committee (PECC) leaders like Jaipal Sharma and others, many engineers, technical staff and clerical employees of PDD said no transparency was involved in unbundling and claimed that jobs of 31000 plus employees is at stake as there is no detailed transition plan for the employees.
The protesters also said that employees are concerned about their future in these companies since the road map is not clear.
They said, these companies shall make their own recruitment and promotion rules leading to a situation where the employees of PDD shall be facing the shortage of promotion avenues.
The protesters demanded assurance about 100 per cent budgetary support for drawing salary and arrears as and when due to the employees up to the date of superannuation and this should be made part of the transition plan document.
They also demanded that the Government should assure benefits like payment of gratuity, pension, DA, SRO 43, medical benefits, annual increments and benefits of pay commissions.
Meanwhile, PDD employees during a day long strike in Srinagar against the Government’s move to privatize the department threatened a 72-hour lock down if they were not taken on-board.
The protesting employees at PDD headquarters chanted slogans against the government accusing it of not consulting the employees on ‘unbundling’ of the PDD.
“Today we have begun with the first phase of our agitation against the unbundling of the department. Earlier, we had conveyed to the government that we were totally against the process,” Chief spokesperson of the amalgam Jammu and Kashmir Power Employees Coordination Committee Zulkernain Bhat told media persons.
“We will be forced to begin with a 72-hour lockdown on September 24 if we were not taken on-board regarding any decision that the Government is going to take,” he further said.
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