Power unions on Friday withdrew their August 28 statewide strike call after the government assured them that their service conditions and pensionary benefits would remain unchanged.

The assurance would hold good even if distribution franchisees are appointed at all major towns and cities, including Patna, in the state.

The decision was taken at a meeting attended by representatives of over a dozen power unions, including Power Engineers’ Service Association (Pesa), Junior Engineers’ Service Association (Jesa) and Bihar Jharkhand Rajya Vidyut Parishad Field Kamgar Union, which are vehemently opposing the state electricity board’s decision to appoint distribution franchisee for power supply across the state.

The unions are worried that their service conditions might be altered once the distribution franchisees are appointed across the state.

“We have decided to withdraw the August 28 strike call to protest against the process of privatisation of the board (franchisee appointment). We are going to communicate our decision to the management. We took the decision following assurances by energy department principal secretary and board chairman that our service conditions would be kept intact,” Bihar Jharkhand Rajya Vidyut Parishad Field Kamgar Union general secretary Amarendra Prasad Mishra told The Telegraph.

Earlier in the day, energy department principal secretary Ajay V. Nayak and senior state electricity board officials, including chairman P.K. Rai, held a meeting with various power unions to defuse the crisis. “The energy department principal secretary tried to dispel our doubts with regard to service conditions. The secretary has also written a letter to the board chairman giving a guarantee that our service conditions would not be altered. They said the government would protect the employees’ interest at any cost,” Mishra said.

The prime demands on which unions wanted an assurance from the board chairman included distribution franchisee appointment, pay revision, regularisation of contractual employees and appointment of diploma holders to the rank of junior engineers.