Against the decision of privatization of Uttar Pradesh Power sector the ‘Bidyut Karamchari Sanyukta Sangharsh Samity’ of UP’ went for indefinite work boycott at the end of November 2022. In the face of stiff resistance of all section of employees supported by the common consumers, a written joint agreement was signed on 3 December 2022 by the representatives of Uttar Pradesh Power department and the ‘Sangharsh Samity’ to the effect that no privatization will take place in UP Power Sector. There was also a clause in the agreement that the chairman of the power corporation was supposed to hold dialogues with the employees to resolve their issues. But till 16 March 2023, the chairman did not find to hold a discussion even once. The ‘Bidyut Karamchari Sanyukta Sangharsh Samity’ of UP has long been demanding legitimately that electronic meters should not be installed at the houses of working and retired electricity workers and in the interest of common electricity consumers, the process of privatization of power generation and transmission should be stopped immediately, the work of construction, operation and maintenance of two units of 800 MW capacity each in Obra and Anpara should be given to UP State Power Generation Corporation instead of NTPC or any other company, the old pension system of power workers should be implemented, and contract workers should be regularized like in Telangana and Rajasthan. But without paying any heed to that agreement, the UP Power management has again started the process of privatization of power sector. Against this retrograde decision of the UP government, ‘Sangharsha Samity’ has given notice for work boycott from 10 AM of 15 March to 10 PM of 16 March and 72 hours strike from 10 PM on 16 March 2023.
But instead of opting for the promised dialogue, without paying any heed to that agreement the UP Power management has again started the process of privatization of power sector. Against this retrograde decision of the BJP-led UP government ‘Sangharsha Samity’ has given notice for work boycott from 10 AM of 15 March to 10 PM of 16 March and 72 hours strike from 10 PM on 16 March 2023. 20 employees’ organizations have joined the strike.
And when the employees resorted to path of democratic movement, the management of UP Power Corporation, obviously at the behest of the government, has issued a notice banning the protest of the ‘Sangharsh Samity’ and threatened if any employee participate in the programme, stringent measures of punishment will be taken against him under infamous Essential Service Maintenance Act (ESMA). The BJP power minister warned that ‘‘the protesting employees have been warned that if they disrupt essential services and if the public face hardships, then action will be taken against them under ESMA, under which there is a provision of one year of imprisonment…Besides, if someone tries to stop employees who want to work or misbehaves with them or damage the public property, then National Security Act (NS) will also be invoked against them.’’ ‘‘This strike will become an obstacle in the development of the country and the state. Only some anti-national people and forces can do such an act’’, he alleged.
As per latest news, 1332 contractual workers have been retrenched. ESMA has been invoked against 22 leaders of the Samity. The power minister has also said that if need be, thousands of employees and workers will be sacked. The District Magistrate of Auria threatened the striking workers of being buried under the ground. The Samity leaders have claimed that for the first time in history, a government department is refusing to abide by an agreement entered into with the government and the employees’ union. The Samity leaders have also dismissed the allegation of vandalization by the striking employees as totally false and a deliberate attempt to malign the employees.
Fascist autocratic face of BJP-led UP government laid bare once more
