By Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 Nov: The ongoing agitation by outsourced workers of Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has escalated further as employees, demanding equal pay for equal work and regularisation, have intensified their protest following the failure of the eighth round of talks with the government.
In a strong display of dissent, the workers burnt an effigy of Dipendra Chaudhary, Secretary, Sainik Kalyan, Uttarakhand, and set fire to copies of the recently issued ‘No Work, No Pay’ order.
The dharna by the UPNL employees in Dehradun entered its eleventh consecutive day, with no resolution in sight. The failure of the latest round of negotiations has only hardened the stance of the protestors, who declared that their strike would continue unabated, without fear or compromise, until their demands are fulfilled. The issue of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ directive by the administration further provoked the workers, prompting them to publicly burn the order along with the effigy of the Secretary.
Vinod Godiyal, State Convenor of the Sanyukt Morcha (Joint Front), accused the government of persistently exploiting the workforce. He alleged that while the administration claims to be forming a sub-committee to address the issue of regularisation, it simultaneously issued a Shasanadesh (Government Order) aimed at intimidating and suppressing the employees. He reiterated that the protest would continue until the government takes concrete steps towards fulfilling the workers’ long-standing demands.
The order issued by Secretary Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary on Wednesday pertains to the strike by outsourced UPCL workers deployed across various departments. It directs the Managing Director of the Uttarakhand Purva Sainik Kalyan Nigam, Dehradun, to identify striking workers who are absent from duty and ensure that their absence is duly recorded in the concerned departments, corporations, and institutions. The directive further mandates strict enforcement of the ‘No Work, No Pay’ policy and instructs all departments to take immediate action to prevent disbursal of salaries to employees not reporting for work.
The UPCL workers have been vocal in their demand for regularisation and parity in wages, arguing that they perform the same duties as permanent employees but are denied equal remuneration and job security. Their protest has drawn political attention, with State Congress President Ganesh Godiyal recently visiting the protest site to express solidarity with the agitating workers and endorse their demands.
