More than 4,000 employees of Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) under the banner of Jharkhand Rajya Bijli Kaamgar Union, has decided to go on a three-day’s strike from June 26 in order to build pressure for their demands.
The union has also threatened to go on an indefinite strike if its charter of demands was not met within the deadline.According to information, statewide almost all field workers - electricians, linemen, supervisors and operators - would abstain from work from June 26.KN Singh, deputy general secretary of Jharkhand Rajya Bijli Kamgar Union, said that despite repeated requests the board has failed to pay heed to their long pending demands.
“We demand that the transfer orders of three employees, who were shifted to Dumka, Giridih and Deoghar, earlier this year must be revoked immediately. The employees were earlier posted in Daltonganj and Dhanbad,” he noted. The union also wants a tripartite agreement (among the State, the board and the union) to guarantee that the service conditions of the employees will not change after the proposed unbundling of the board.
Other demands include payment of overtime dues since the formation of the State, uniform and other welfare schemes for employees. Workers of the union said that they would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the three-day strike was a success.“We are adamant to observe the three-day strike. The employees are suffering in the hands JSEB and the State Government due to their negligence. We have been receiving only assurances only. We have no other way but to go strike,” said Singh.
Meanwhile, when contacted executive engineer of JSEB, Abhay Kumar said that the situation will paralyse if the employees go on strike.“Though we have not received any formal information from the JSEB headquarters but we will ensure that some alternate arrangements are made to ensure that power supply is not hampered,” noted Kumar.