Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
On behalf of the Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers, Officers Action Committee, six unions have demanded that the pending salary hike negotiations of over 86,000 employees, engineers and officers and 12,000 support staff working in the electricity companies in the state from 1.4.2023 should be concluded immediately and an honorable settlement should be reached.
For this 1) Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation 2) Maharashtra Power Workers Federation, 3) Subordinate Engineers Association, 4) Electricity Sector Technical Workers Union, 5) Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Congress (INTAC) and 6) Maharashtra State Backward Class Electricity Employees Association held door-to-door meetings and protests across Maharashtra on 16 January. Thousands of workers protested across Maharashtra in front of the offices of Mahavitran at Vashi, Kalyan Prakashgad, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia, Amravati , Akola, Yavatmal, Buldhana, Nanded, Aurangabad, Latur, Parbhani, Jalna, Solapur, Sindhudurg, in Ratnagiri district, and at Power Generation Centers at Chandrapur and Paras, Koradi, Khaparkheda, Ekalhare, Bhusawal, Parli Vaijnath, Khava, Uran.
After all the trade unions working in the electricity industry of Maharashtra submitted the salary hike proposal to the management, the first meeting to discuss the salary hike proposal was held on 5th December 2023 at Nagpur with six unions. In the meeting, the leadership of the six organizations elaborated on their demands regarding salary hike. At that time, it was assured that another meeting would soon be held on behalf of the management at the level of Hon’ble Principal Secretary Energy, Chairman and Managing Director of the three power companies. Even after a period of 45 days, no movement was seen on the part of the management regarding the salary hike, so the action committee of the 6 unions have drawn a plan of agitation.
If the administration does not immediately call for discussions and start negotiations, it has decided to hold a non-cooperation movement from 19 January, a hunger strike in front of Prakashgada on 24 January, a symbolic strike of 1 day on 30 January and a 72-hour strike of 3 days from 7 to 9 February.