Ludhiana: Outsourced power workers raise job security concerns amid contract termination threats
The concerns have intensified after Vission Plus, the company managing 423 outsourced workers in the Ludhiana Suburban Circle, informed them that their services would end on April 30, even though the contract is valid until May 30
Outsourced workers deployed as Complaint Handling Bikes (CHB) and Complaint Handling Wagons (CHW) across Ludhiana have raised serious concerns about their job security amid uncertainty over contract extensions.
The concerns have intensified after Vission Plus, the company managing 423 outsourced workers in the Ludhiana Suburban Circle, informed them that their services would end on April 30, even though the contract is valid until May 30. A similar situation looms over 511 workers under Sandha and Company, whose contract also expires at the end of May.
A senior official of Vission Plus, requesting anonymity, said, “Our three-year-long contract had already concluded in November 2024. Since then, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had been giving us monthly extensions instead of a long-term renewal making it difficult for us to continue providing services, as there are many hidden costs and penalties that hinder our ability to function efficiently.”
He further alleged that the agreement with PSPCL management is one-sided. “These workers go on strike whenever they wish, but we are the ones penalised. We cannot terminate protesting workers as per PSPCL norms. We’re also asked to ensure their attendance and pay them even if they haven’t worked. In the past three years, we’ve been fined nearly ₹3 crore, which is unjust. It’s a double-edged sword. That’s why we’re looking for a way out,” he said.
Voicing his concerns, Avtar Singh, Aggar Nagar division head of Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union said, “Despite working in high-risk conditions, we’re now being told we are going to be out of jobs even before our contract ends. We risk our lives daily to restore power, even during storms and late hours. Yet instead of regularisation, we’re being thrown out.”
Echoing this anxiety, another CHB worker said, “We’re being used and discarded like spare parts. First, permanent recruitment stopped and then came contract-based hiring. Now, with no clarity on what happens next, we’re left wondering, where will skilled workers like us go if the new firm chooses not to retain us?”
Adding to the crisis, State Union president Balihar Singh has announced a symbolic protest on April 21, during which effigies of the government and PSPCL management will be burned at various locations across Punjab. This will be followed by a complete state-level strike on April 30 and an indefinite sit-in to press for their demands.
The union’s anger stems from what they call continued apathy by the state government and PSPCL management. Workers allege that their repeated appeals have gone unheard. With 50% of the Punjab State Power and Transmission Corporation now facing privatisation, they fear the move will pave the way for even more outsourcing, inflated electricity tariffs, and the complete erosion of job security in the sector.
Responding to the situation, chief engineer of Ludhiana Central Zone, Jagdev Singh Hans, clarified, “Vission Plus have been granted an extension till May 31. They can’t terminate their services before that. If they do, they can be blacklisted.”
When asked about the employment of CHB and CHW workers, Hans commented, “They are not employees of PSPCL but of private contracting firms. Whenever a new company takes over, these employees are usually retained, as they are experienced and skilled staff.”
