- Over regularization, job security and other demands
Bhopal: Thousands of electricity department employees from across Madhya Pradesh have launched a protest at Neelam Park in Bhopal under the banner of the United Forum for Power Employees and Engineers. The forum is pressing the government to fulfill its 9-point charter of demands, with a key focus on the regularization of 5,000 contract workers currently serving in the electricity department.
Forum President V.K.S. Parihar addressed the gathering and emphasized that these contract workers, despite being selected through proper channels such as written examinations, interviews, and merit lists, continue to face job insecurity. He highlighted that the state government has approved a new organizational structure with 50,000 new posts, and urged that 5,000 of these positions be reserved for existing contract workers before any new recruitment is initiated.
The protest also includes demands for a 50% reservation for outsourced employees in future recruitments, the formation of a transparent inter-company transfer policy, and inclusion of dearness allowance (DA) and annual increments under the 2023 contract employment policy.
Forum plans to intensify agitation
Parihar warned that despite repeated appeals over the past year, the government has not taken any concrete action. If their demands remain unmet by October, the Forum plans to intensify the agitation across the state.
According to the Forum, more than 100 trained contract employees have resigned in recent months due to the lack of career growth and security. Many, with over a decade of experience, are migrating to other departments seeking stability.
Key Demands of the Protest
* Immediate regularization of all contract workers.
* Establishment of a home district transfer policy across power companies.
* Addition of DA and increments to the contract policy.
* Higher posts for revenue and office assistants with relevant qualifications.
* Resolution of pay anomalies and promotions based on tenure.
* Double pay for work on national and festive holidays.
* Removal of probationary service clauses during contract-to-regular transitions.
Protesters say that ignoring these issues may also impact the state’s power supply system due to demotivation among skilled staff.
