India: Victory for triking Electricity Employees & Engineers in UP . . .

 Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI)

Incredible Victory to the UP Striking Electricity Employees & Engineers: Govt. Bowed Down

Press Release

Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) congratulates the united struggle of the Electricity Employees and Engineers of Uttar Pradesh for the incredible victory. Resisting and Defying the Government’s onslaught including the vindictive invocation of draconian ESMA, threat of NSA and massive termination, the determined Strikers have emerged victorious. Under immense pressure from all corners, the UP Energy Minister Sri Arvind Kumar Sharma in a joint press conference has publicly promised to roll-back the vindictive terminations. The arrogant UP Govt. practically surrendered to the Striking workers.

The strike action was called by the united forum of all organisations representing electricity employees and engineers of UP – Vidyut Karmachari Samyukt Sangharsh Samiti. The Power employees & engineers of Uttar Pradesh were in the path of struggle from November, 2022 and on 3rd December 2022 a written agreement was signed between Vidyut Karmachari Samyukt Sangharsh Samiti and UP Power Corporation in presence of Shri Arvind Kumar Sharma with an assurance of not to privatise the power assets. In a complete retrograde move, the Management of the power corporations started denying the mutually agreed and signed agreement and directed to sell out two new 800 MW generation units of Anpara and Opra and related transmission assets currently owned by UPPCL, the state-run UP Power Corporation. It is a malicious violation of established industrial practice. As an expression of discontent and anger, exercising the democratic right, the Sangharsh Samiti of Power employees and engineers of UP has resorted to 3 days token strike action from 16th March 10 pm.

Around 1 lakh employees were in Strike. The entire UP electricity sector was under heavy grip of strike. Generation had drastically fallen at several power stations like Opra, Anpara, Parichha. The electricity employees’ united forum has also highlighted the demands of regularising the contractual workers engaged in perennial jobs of electricity sector, reintroduction the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and rolling back of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022. After 65 hours valiant strike, the Government stepped back. The Energy Minister today has announced that the 3rd December 2022 agreement will be revisited and the Government will try to implement it in ditto.

At the call of NCCOEEE, in thousands of places electricity workers all across the country came into the street on 16th March 2023 in solidarity and support to the Striking UP workers. EEFI salutes their spirit and participation. This magnificent victory of the Striking UP electricity workers is in a row of victories, starting from Maharashtra, then Karnataka and today UP.

This proves again that the determined valiant struggle of the electricity like strategic sector workers can only put a bridle to these anti-people actions of the current authoritarian Modi-Yogi led BJP regime. This is time tested truth with experience of Harynana, Chandigarh, Puducherry & Srinagar anti-privatisation struggle of electricity workers. In all cases, the Govt. was compelled to step back.

Today, EEFI calls upon the people of the Nation, the electricity workers in particular and specifically the EEFI constituents to uphold and internalize the glorious experience of UP movement and observe nationwide victory demonstrations on 20th March 2023 throughout the country. This victory rally will be a part of the NCOEEE call to greet the victorious UP electricity employees, nationwide.