Report of Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
As reported on the AIFAP website, the power workers and engineers of Uttar Pradesh, united under the banner of UP Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, took out Tiranga rallies in many cities and towns across the state on 14th August. These rallies were the culmination of the campaign they started on 8th August, the day that marked 100 years of the famous Kakori train raid organized by Hindustan Republican Association (HRA) to acquire funds for their revolutionary activities against British rule in India. On 14th August, the struggle against privatization of power sector entered its 261st day.
The workers of Uttar Pradesh have been in the forefront of power sector workers’ struggle across India to oppose the privatization of the sector. They are heroically carrying on their struggle against heavy odds. They are being constantly pressurised by the state government of Uttar Pradesh. Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) is being applied in the state repeatedly to intimidate the workers. Their leaders and vocal activists are being constantly hounded by government agencies. Contract workers are being threatened with removal from service. Government has also resorted to transfer of thousands of workers, including women workers. Salaries of thousands of workers for June and July 2025 have been reportedly withheld on flimsy grounds. Workers who are refusing to install anti-consumer smart prepaid meters are being transferred to far-away locations. False FIRs have been registered against many workers and engineers.
In a similar manner, the Indian Railway administration is issuing suspension notices and instituting enquiries against loco running staff who are refusing to work for more than 9 hours, even though their demand for 9-hour duty is in accordance with the Hours of Work and Period of Rest Rules, 2005 (HOER) norms issued by the Indian Railways itself. Other sections of Indian Railway workers like Guards, Track Maintainers, Station Masters, Pointsmen, S&T staff, etc. are also reportedly threatened with action if they oppose terrible working conditions like duty for excessive hours, lack of proper rest period, lack of weekly offs, etc.
Doctors, nurses and other health workers are also repeatedly threatened with action whenever they raise their voice against the contractualization of work force or when they demand permanent employment. Very recently, on 13th August, thousands of sanitation workers of Chennai were forcibly removed from their protest site and beaten up as they were opposing the privatization of waste collection and demanding that they be made permanent workers since they have been working on a temporary basis for more than 10 years.
Such struggles, despite the very oppressive government apparatus, are definitely very inspiring for the entire working class. The defiance of such oppressive measures by workers and their organizations needs to be saluted.
These are only a handful of scores of such incidents that are happening across the country. These experiences definitely raise a big question about what kind of democracy exists in our country. There seems to be democracy only for the super rich of our country—the big corporates—and their political lackeys who can get away with crimes like fraud and embezzlement of lakhs of crores of people’s money, routine breaking of laws like labour laws, including heinous crimes like rape and murder. However, it seems that for the working people of our country, democracy exists only on paper.