Outsourced workers of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have vowed to continue their indefinite agitation after multiple rounds of talks with Cabinet ministers and senior power department officials failed to resolve their key demand for direct contracts.These workers are employed at Nodal Complaint Centres (NCCs), Suvidha Centres, metering labs and stores.The workers have been on strike since July 23 along with employees of several thermal power plants. However, while regular PSPCL employees and contractual technical staff resumed duties after separate negotiations with the department, the outsourced workers have decided to continue their agitation.The strike is being led by two unions, the Coordination Committee of Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union and the Outsource Employees Federation Punjab.Balihar Singh, state president of the Coordination Committee of Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union, representing CHB and outsourced workers in PSPCL’s West Zone, said, “Our CHB (Complaint Handling Bike) and CHW (Complaint Handling Wagon) workers suspended their strike after the department had assured us during a meeting on Tuesday that they would provide adequate safety kits and issue employee IDs.””However, the demand to bring outsourced workers under direct contract remains unresolved. We held a meeting with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and PSPCL CMD Basant Garg on Wednesday, but no decision was taken. Therefore, we have decided to continue strike,” he said.Meanwhile, members of the Outsource Employees Federation Punjab staged a protest outside the residence of Power Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond in Khanna on Wednesday, demanding the implementation of the government’s assurance to bring them under direct contract.The federation alleged that despite an assurance given by the Power Minister on May 24, no notification has been issued to regularise these categories of outsourced employees, prompting them to continue their agitation.Kuljit Singh Lohka, state president of the federation, said a meeting with Sond was held in Khanna following the protest.”He informed us that the government intends to bring an ordinance in the next Assembly session to bring us under direct contract. However, we are not convinced by this assurance as no notification has been issued so far. We have, therefore, decided to continue our strike. A meeting with the PSPCL CMD is scheduled for July 31,” Lohka said.The striking employees handle several consumer facing services at PSPCL offices, including processing applications for new and temporary electricity connections, changes in sanctioned load, transfer of electricity connections and billing related grievances.They also manage complaints received through the 1912 helpline by forwarding them to the technical staff concerned and closing them in the system after the complaints are resolved.