Electric Employees wake up government by their work boycott; 116 electric supply stations stopped work

Privatisation of electric department was protested

Employees of UP Power Corporation Limited gave strong message of strike to the government in the wake of privatisation on Tuesday this week; the employees have boycotted their work. The employees gathered in Lucknow from the state were protesting against the privatisation of UPPCL. The employees' associations symbolically have expressed their one day protest, and  given premonition to the state government that, if the government did not stand with them, the associations shall be in compulsion to go on the strike.

Joint Struggle Electric Employees Committee UP had called to the employees and the engineers of the power corporation to boycott whole day work.

The committee has announced giving pace to the agitation and said that the employees and engineers shall resume their work from 28th March regularly and is to begin their boycott statewide for 72 hours since 9th April in morning. There shall have constantly a protest meeting carrying out daily at the project head quarters and the districts of the state during the forthcoming days.

The engineers and the employees under statewide agitation staged a protest and Dharna against the government decision in front of Shakti Bhawan in Lucknow. The agitation was extreme among employees in protest of privatisation of electric distribution system. The work in offices of UPPCL was fully withheld. The billing and the recovery work were also withheld. The demonstrators were chanting the slogans: ‘Urja Mantri Hosh Mie Aao’ (wake up Energy Minister) with the card board in hands.

The president of Electric Technical Unity Union, Ram Pratap Verma, has alleged that no vacancies have been filled up in this department so far in government's one year tenure. The employees in short strength  and in least resources of organisation have given better services; yet the government in those districts where the electric services are normal are going to privatise is wrong step. Without filling the shortage of employees and providing the resources, the intention of the gainer districts’ privatisation on the name of giving the better services to the consumers, the government is fully going to give benefits to the capitalists.

 The general secretary of Association, Ashok Kumar, told here, “The contribution of employees earnestly to carry this department in rise whether it is by revenue recovery or by providing electric connections services to the consumers have played an important role. The intention of privatisation of this department shows that the government to its close capitalists is to give the benefit indirectly. On the one hand, the effects of privatisation is  to go on directly over the employees, on the other hand this  will give burden adversely over the public indirectly.”

He added, “Where the electric department used to recover the cost per unit Rs 4; now the private companies will impose the rate of Rs 7 to 10 per unit from domestic consumers. The consumers where they get relaxation of 2 to 3 months time to pay the bill, now the private companies will disconnect the electric supply if the bill is not paid within a month. Where the electric department, giving OTS to consumers, provided the rebate; the private companies shall give no rebate. The consumers shall have to face the loss in every situation on privatisation.”

The office bearers of struggle committee have appealed with the government to withdraw its decision of privatisation in mass public interest. They have warned that if any employee is victimised or the ongoing peaceful agitation is repressed, the indefinite work boycott shall be begun in reality without any notice. The struggling committee announced that if any employee is arrested, the employees and engineers working at every project and districts will begin to give their arrests.
The resentment was seen among the protesters at UPPCL head quarter, Shakti Bhawan Lucknow. The offices in Lucknow and of other districts of the state were in the silent shadow.