komal.kumari@hindustantimes.comEven as the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) board of directors on Friday has approved a 15% increase in wages for outsourced employees, the ongoing indefinite strike is set to continue, with the workers’ union rejecting the proposal and insisting that its primary demand for direct engagement under the departmental contract system remains unresolved.The strike has disrupted several consumer services across state. (HT Photo)The decision was taken at a meeting of the PSPCL board of directors, which approved the long-pending wage revision for outsourced employees working across power distribution, consumer service centres, offices, and various operational wings of the corporation.The board approved a 5% wage revision for April 2026 and a 15% hike from May 1 onwards, both to be calculated on the basic wages as on March 31, 2026. Officials said the revised wages, along with the applicable arrears, will be released together in the next salary cycle following implementation of the decision.PSPCL clarified that apart from the wage revision, all existing service conditions and contractual provisions applicable to outsourced employees will remain unchanged.However, the announcement failed to break the deadlock between the management and the agitating workers.Outsourced employees have been on an indefinite strike since midnight on June 16 after talks with the management collapsed. The union had temporarily suspended its agitation earlier this month following assurances that eligible outsourced workers would be brought under the departmental contract system and appointment letters would be issued by June 15. However, after no orders were issued within the promised timeline, employees resumed their protest.The strike has affected outsourced personnel posted at nodal complaint centres (NCCs), customer relation centres (CRCs), suvidha centres, meter-reading operations, billing branches, stores, and other field and office establishments, disrupting several consumer services across Punjab, including Ludhiana.The ongoing agitation has already led to a mounting backlog of consumer complaints, delays in meter reading, and provisional billing in several areas, forcing PSPCL to make alternative arrangements to maintain essential services.Rejecting the board’s decision, outsource employees’ union president Davinder Singh Sunny said the wage hike does not address the workers’ principal demand.“The salary increase is not our main issue. We demand that outsourced employees should be brought under the departmental contract system by ending the contractor system. Until this and our other pending demands are fulfilled, the indefinite strike will continue,” Sunny said.With the union refusing to call off the agitation despite the wage revision, the standoff between PSPCL management and outsourced employees is expected to continue, prolonging the impact on consumer services unless a broader agreement is reached.