Statement of the Kamgar Ekta Committee, September 17, 2024
Comrades and friends working in the electricity sector,
Maharashtra State Electricity Workers, Engineers, Officers Action Committee, representing a large majority of workers working in the power sector of Maharashtra state has declared an agitation program for various demands.
Kamgar Ekta Committee upholds and supports the following main demands that you have publicized as well as your united struggle:
- Implementation of OPS for all power sector employees
All working people – all workers, toilers and farmers of our country who produce everything from needles to satellites, and all the wealth of our country deserve a respectable life worthy of human beings of the 21st century after they retire or become unfit for work. It is the basic duty of the government to ensure adequate pension for all the working people. This is the principle Kamgar Ekta Committee believes in. Hence your demand for implementation of OPS is fully justified. - Immediately halt the program of privatizing 16 Hydroelectric power generation plants
Hydroelectric power is generated by using natural resource i.e. water which belongs to the people of India. It is one of the cheapest sources of electricity. Hence such projects should never be privatized. Privatization will lead to increased tariff for electricity consumers and will also lead to loss of permanent jobs in the sector. Kamgar Ekta Committee believes that such a step is anti-people and anti-worker. - No to execution of Mahapaareshan (electricity transmission) projects of more than Rs.200 crore value by private companies
Allowing private parties to execute large transmission projects is a first step in the direction of further privatization of power transmission. Kamgar Ekta Committee believes that such privatization is also against the interests of both power sector workers and people at large. - No to Smart Meters
Kamgar Ekta Committee has launched a big campaign along with 46 other organizations including your organizations across the country since Smart Meter installation is a definitive first step towards privatization of electricity distribution, and hence is against the interests of power sector workers and people at large. Those workers who collect payments have to face tremendous hardships and many times even physical violence. It is the duty of the Government of Maharashtra to take steps to permanently end these hardships. These hardships will not end with Smart Meter installation. On the contrary, many jobs relating to payment collection will be under threat. - Equal wages for equal work to contract employees, guaranteed employment till the age of 60 years, and step by step absorption in permanent position
Contractualization of work is a definite means of extreme exploitation of contract workers who are paid much lower wages than permanent employees doing the same work. It also goes against the natural justice principle of equal wages for equal work. Contractualization also suppresses wages of permanent workers while at the same time reducing the fighting capacity of permanent workers. Kamgar Ekta Committee congratulates your organizations of permanent workers who have taken up this very important and fully justified issue of Contract workers.
Comrades and friends,
Kamgar Ekta Committee has always stood by power sector workers of Maharashtra and all over the country. We have not only participated physically in your agitations but have played a crucial role in All India Forum Against Privatization which has helped in building unity of Public Sector employees across various sectors so also other working people against anti-people, anti-worker policies of various governments.
We fully support this struggle of yours too.
Comrades and Friends,
Power sector workers of Maharashtra and of the country as a whole, has shown to all PSE workers as to how unity across all sections of power sector from helpers to engineers to officers can be forged. Your united struggles for the last more than a decade as well as the united struggles of kisans have so far prevented the Government of India from passing Electricity Act Amendment Bill; the main aim of this Bill is increased and speedy privatization of the electricity sector. In Maharashtra also all of you have unitedly opposed various attempts of the Maharashtra government to increased privatization of power sector.
Comrades and Friends,
All of us, who earn our livelihood by selling our labour power, whether physical or mental, are workers. Whether we work out there in scorching sun or in AC cabins in front of computers, whether we are designated as Foremen or Supervisors or Officers or Managers or General Managers, at the end of the day we are part of working class of our country.
The numerical strength of the ruling capitalist class of our country is negligible. To preserve its rule, the ruling class has further developed the policy of “Divide and Rule”. It divides us on the basis of religion, caste, language, organisation, region, position or designation, etc. We all have to work tirelessly in forging our unity defying all such attempts of the capitalist class.
We, as Kamgar Ekta Committee, will always be with you workers in this! Let us together work to overcome all barriers to unity of all the working people.
As in the fight you have started, we have to fight to defend our rights and against attacks on our livelihood, like the agitation you have started now. We are of course with you shoulder to shoulder. However, we should also seriously question why all toilers in our country have to repeatedly descend like this on the streets for the most basic things. We should also question why, while a few tens of lakhs of people in our country are rich beyond imagination, the vast majority of people have to face poverty, insecurity and instability in their lives.
The reason for this is that in our country political power is in the hands of the capitalist class that is led by about 150 big capitalist multi-billionaires. We should also think about how we could snatch political power from their hands and bring the toiling people to power. Only then will there be no necessity to keep fighting for a secure livelihood and we will all be able to create a happy, secure country for all our toiling people!
Long live the unity of workers, toilers, farmers and all the other oppressed people!
Inquilab Zindabad!