All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has written a letter to the State Government, demanding redressal of their demands, including pay revision of Uttarakhand Power Engineers. At the same time, the members of the joint forum of power corporation unions said that they have chalked out programmes of a staggered agitation at various levels in support of their demands, including implementation of seventh pay commission and grant of time- bound pay scales.
The joint forum spokesperson Deepak Beniwal said that there has been growing resentment among power engineers and employees in Uttarakhand. “If any power employee is harassed in any way we would start stir,” he said, adding that the association is being supported by All India Power Engineer Federation and Uttarakhand Power Contractual Employee Association.
AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey said that the employees of Uttarakhand Power Corporation limited, Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand limited (PTCUl) and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam ltd are agitated over the Government’s failure to revise the 7th pay commission recommendations and to accept the demand of granting time- bound pay scales.
It is noteworthy that before Uttarakhand was carved out, all the power engineers were part of UP State Electricity Board (UPSEB) / UP Power Corporation ltd (UPPCl). UPSEB/UPPCl had higher pay scales for all the posts of power engineers as compared to the UP State Govt engineers. Similarly, time- bound pay scales given to UPSEB/UPPCl engineers were better than the time- bound pay scales given to the state govt engineers.
It is learnt that in the recent 7th pay revision in Uttarakhand, power engineers have been equated with state govt engineers by denying them the higher starting pay at different levels and the time scale pattern has also been adversely changed with 10 years, 20 years and 30 years in place of 9 years, 5 years and 5 years which was continuing for the past 38 years.
“In UP, the power engineers are still getting higher pay fixation in pay matrix of 7th pay revision and getting time- bound pay scales as before.
The question is- why Uttarakhand government is bent upon withdrawing the already prevailing higher starting pay and time- bound pay scales for the power engineersIJ” asked Dubey. “If Uttarakhand power engineers are forced to take to stir all the power engineers of the country would extend support to them and the stir would turn into a full-blown one and the responsibility would solely rest with the State Government,” he added.