GHTP contractual workers seek pay hike

Bathinda, November 25

Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP) contract workers on Monday staged a protest over their demands outside the thermal plant gate at Lehra Mohabbat.

The protest was headed by union president Jagroop Singh. They demanded that direct recruitment in Powercom should be done by bringing them under the Contract Welfare Act, 2016, their salaries should be hiked according to the rate of inflation and the recruitment of skilled persons should be stopped. They said non-skilled persons working for a long time should be deputed on these posts, instead.

They also demanded that vacant quarters in the Power colony should be given to those who needed these and the GHTP should be kept running continuously.

General secretary Jagsir Singh Bhangu and other leaders condemned the ‘anti labour-employee’ policies of the state government and the Powercom management. They alleged that to benefit corporate houses, the state government was running private thermal plants at full load, which produced expensive power while the GHTP was kept shut, They alleged that government’s motive was to close the plant, despite the fact that the thermal plant had won many awards at Asia level and produced power at low rate. — TNS