Statement of All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Uttar Pradesh
Save Electricity, Save the Nation!
Why the Public Must Support the Fight Against Electricity Privatisation
When electricity employees hit the streets in protest, it’s not just a battle to protect their jobs — it’s a struggle to safeguard the rights and welfare of every citizen. Electricity is a basic service, and handing it over to private companies poses serious dangers not just to workers, but to the general public. Here’s why the common people must stand with electricity employees against privatisation:
- Threat of Arbitrary Pricing
Private companies are driven by profit, not public service. Once electricity supply is privatised, tariff rates can become arbitrary and unaffordable. Rural consumers, small shopkeepers, farmers, and lower-middle-class households will bear the brunt. Regulatory oversight will weaken under corporate pressure, leading to unchecked price hikes.
- End of Subsidies
Today, state governments provide subsidies on electricity for farmers and poor households. Private companies are unlikely to accept this, citing “losses”. Either governments will have to overcompensate private players with public funds, or the poor will be forced to pay higher bills — a direct attack on affordability.
- Collapse of Cross-Subsidy System
Currently, industrial consumers pay higher rates to help subsidise domestic and agricultural usage — this is called cross-subsidy. Private companies will dismantle this system in pursuit of profit, shifting the burden to weaker sections of society.
- Poor Service, No Accountability
Under government-owned power utilities, citizens have some platform for complaint and redressal. Privatization often leads to careless service, delayed maintenance, and arrogant customer support. With profit the sole motive, the focus on reliable and equitable service will decline.
- Job Cuts and Exploitation of Workers
Privatisation inevitably leads to mass layoffs, contractualisation, and job insecurity. Skilled employees will be replaced by low-paid contract workers, which will affect both the quality of service and the livelihood of thousands of families.
- Power Supply to Remote Areas Will Suffer
Private firms want profit — not social responsibility. Supplying power to remote villages, tribal regions, or hilly areas is often seen as unprofitable. Such areas risk being left behind, deepening regional inequalities and denying electricity to those who need it most.
- Loss of Public Control = Threat to Democracy
As long as public services like electricity remain under democratic, government control, people have a say in how they are run. Privatisation shifts decision-making to corporate boardrooms, not elected representatives. This weakens public accountability and erodes democratic rights.
Why Public Support Matters
Electricity employees are not just fighting for themselves — they are resisting corporate takeover of essential services. Their fight is our fight. If the public stays silent today, tomorrow everyone will pay the price — through higher bills, unreliable power, and a loss of public voice.
So, the call of the hour is clear:
“Stand with electricity workers,
Defeat privatisation!”
Save electricity, Save rights, Save democracy!
This is not just a slogan —
It’s our collective responsibility.