National/ Punjab Desk
14 February
Ludhiana
Sandeep Dhand
The Powercom Apprenticeship Union Punjab staged a strong protest on Thursday in front of the Powercom head office and blocked Mall Road at Fuhara Chowk. The protest was against the alleged failure of Powercom to fulfill its promises regarding job postings.
Earlier, the union had staged a 53-day-long dharna to press for their demands. At that time, Powercom officials had assured them that their demands would be met, leading the union to end the protest. However, the protesters claimed that the recent job advertisement released by Powercom did not fulfill the commitments made to them.
According to the union, the Power Minister had assured them that 5,500 posts would be created, but the latest job advertisement has listed only 2,500 posts. Feeling betrayed, the union decided to restart their protest to demand the fulfillment of the original promise.
During the protest, several union leaders addressed the gathering, warning that if the authorities fail to meet their demands, they will intensify their struggle. The protesters remained firm in their demand for the creation of all 5,500 promised posts.
Later in the day, Powercom officials met with the union leaders and scheduled a meeting with Power Secretary to discuss the issue further. Following this development, the protest was called off for now.
Union leaders emphasized that they will wait for the outcome of the upcoming meeting but will not hesitate to restart the protest if their demands are not fully met. The workers are determined to continue their fight until they get a fair resolution.