Report received from Com. Krishna Bhoyar, General Secretary of Maharashtra State Electricity
Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers, Officers Action Committee
Press statement
Dated.09.07.2025 Mumbai
95% of Maharashtra’s electricity workers, engineers and officials on strike against the privatization of electricity companies
86,000 electricity workers, engineers, officers and contract workers of the state went on strike on 9th July 2025 under the leadership of Maharashtra State Electricity Workers, Engineers, Officers Joint Action Committee. In 2023, the electricity trade unions came together and called a strike to demand that the parallel licensing of electricity distribution in Maharashtra should not be given to Adani and other private capitalists in the jurisdiction of Mahavitaran Company. On January 4, 2023, the then Deputy Chief Minister, Mr. Devendraji Fadnavis announced at a press conference with the trade union leaders that he would not do any kind of privatization of the state-owned government power companies. However, going against this assurance, Mahavitran Company has issued tenders for smart prepaid meters to private capitalists, starting the process of privatization. This has created a lot of uneasiness among the employees. Due to this, 95 % of the employees of the state have gone on strike on July 9 2025.
Central and various state governments are privatizing various public sector electricity companies across the country.
On July 9, 2025, 27 lakh electricity employees of the country are on strike under the leadership of the National Coordination Committee Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE).
Many private capitalists have asked for a distribution license in the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Government’s Mahavitaran Company. The hearing in this regard will be held on July 22, 2025 with the Maharashtra State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC).
Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited (MSETCL) has started the process to give all the contracts above Rs. 200 crores to the private capitalists.
The state government has directed that the MSETCL company should do listing its shares on the stock market.
The process of installing 2 crore 25 lakh 65 thousand smart prepaid meters across the state has been given to private capitals and ten years of maintenance will remain with the private capitalists.
This strike was held to oppose all these steps towards privatisation.
We also demand that pension should be implemented for electricity employees of generation, transmission and distribution companies in Maharashtra who are not getting pension.
42000 posts of all the three electricity companies in generation, transmission and distribution should be filled immediately and contract workers currently being employed should be given preference.
An anomaly committee should be formed on the pending issues after the salary hike agreement.
The main demand has been made to stop the economic and social exploitation of the contract workers by the government electricity companies.
The action committee has called this strike for a total of 14 demands.
86,000 employees, engineers, officers and 42,000 contract workers of the state have participated in this strike.
Com. Krishna Bhoyar General Secretary, Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation (MSEWF), Shri Rathode , President, Subordinate Engineers Association, Dr. Mathew Secretary, Kamgar Ekta Committee, Mrs. Bharti Bhoyar, President, Women’s Wing, MSEWF, Mr. Shailesh Ade, Vice President, Backward Classes Electricity Workers Association, Comr. Dattatray Kamble, Com. Shashikant Matre, Com. Yogesh Salvi, Yogesh Bagul, Satish Patil, Madhukar Koli, Arjun Jadhav and hundreds of electric workers and engineers were present at a huge demonstration at Vashi Circle Headquarters of MSEDCL.
Comrade Krishna Bhoyar, General Secretary Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation
Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers, Officers Action Committee
Mo. No.: 9930003608