HPSEBL Employees on Warpath Against Sukhu Government’s “Rationalization” Move, Term Decision as Hidden Job Cuts
Shimla, February 6 – The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) is once again in the eye of a storm, with employee unions and pensioners up in arms against the Sukhu government’s latest “rationalization” move.
While the government insists that no posts have been abolished, the Joint Action Committee of HPSEBL employees and pensioners has accused the state of misleading the public and orchestrating backdoor job cuts under the garb of financial reforms.
The government’s spokesperson, Anurag Parashar, attempted to defuse the growing unrest, stating that the Board was only following directives from the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (HPERC) to reduce salary and pension expenses.
He claimed that while employee-related costs were among the highest in the country, no posts were being scrapped, only “rationalized.” But the employee unions are not buying it.
Employees Cry Foul, Call Rationalization a “Layoff Plan”
The Joint Action Committee, representing thousands of employees and pensioners, has outright rejected the government’s claim.
“This is nothing but a systematic attempt to shrink the workforce, freeze recruitment, and eventually hand over HPSEBL to private players,” said one of the committee leaders.
According to them, while the government insists that posts will be refilled “when required,” the reality is that the Board has already stopped fresh recruitment for years, creating a severe manpower crunch.
“They claim that posts are not being abolished, yet they are terming roles like Mistry, DG Operator, Welder, and others as ‘redundant.’
If there’s no one left to do these jobs, isn’t that effectively a job cut?” asked a protesting employee.
Pensioners Fearful, Arrears Payments Called a “One-Time Gimmick”
Another major concern among pensioners is the government’s handling of arrears and dearness allowance (DA).
The spokesperson highlighted that Rs. 134 crore had been disbursed over the past two months for pending DA and revised pay scale arrears.
However, pensioners argue that this payment was long overdue and is now being showcased as a favor.
“Instead of releasing our rightful dues on time, they hold back payments for years and then suddenly release a lump sum as a political gimmick.
And now they’re warning us that if financial reforms aren’t implemented, future payments could stop? This is nothing short of blackmail,” said a retired HPSEBL engineer.
Financial Mismanagement or Employees Being Made Scapegoats?
The unions have also raised questions about the state’s financial mismanagement, arguing that the blame for HPSEBL’s poor fiscal health cannot be placed entirely on employees’ salaries.
They demand an audit into the Board’s revenue leaks, outstanding dues from big industries, and inefficiencies in power purchase agreements.
They have also pointed out the contradiction in the government’s stance.
“If HPSEBL is now only a power distribution company, why does it still have over 2,000 posts in its generation wing?
Instead of cutting essential workforce, why isn’t the government streamlining policy decisions and recovering pending dues?” a union leader questioned.
Unions Plan Mass Protests, Demand Policy Reversal
With anger simmering, employee unions are planning a series of protests, including demonstrations, work slowdowns, and even a strike if their demands are not met.
The Joint Action Committee has demanded a categorical assurance from the government that no further staff reductions will take place and that all vacant posts will be filled immediately.
The ball is now in the government’s court. Will CM Sukhu and his administration engage with the agitating employees to find a middle ground, or will they push ahead with their so-called reforms at the cost of worker unrest?
The coming weeks will decide whether this is just another bureaucratic restructuring or the beginning of a larger crisis in Himachal’s power sector.
