Press Release of Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, Uttar Pradesh
(Translation of Hindi press release)
Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti UP
Press Release, 21 August 2025
Privatisation will put jobs of 76,500 electricity workers in danger: Preparations for decisive struggle against privatisation: We will serve and we will also take our rights – Sangharsh Samiti
Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, Uttar Pradesh, has said that if Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam are privatised, then jobs of about 76,500 government employees will be in danger. Today, on the 267th day of the ongoing movement against privatisation, electricity workers resolved to organize a decisive struggle to stop privatisation.
The Sangharsh Samiti said that considering the increased demand for electricity, electricity workers are attending to the problems of consumers on top priority along while continuing their agitation. The Sangharsh Samiti said that their slogan is: We will serve and we will also take our rights.
Central office bearers of the Sangharsh Samiti said that about 17,500 regular employees are working in Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and about 10,500 regular employees are working in Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam. In addition, about 50,000 contract workers are working in these two electricity distribution corporations.
The Sangharsh Samiti said that after privatization, the Chairman of the Power Corporation has given three options to electricity workers. The first option is that they accept the job of the private company. The second option is that they go to other electricity distribution corporations, and the third option is that they take voluntary retirement and go home. The Sangharsh Samiti said that there is a large number of electricity workers who had left their jobs in private companies and came to the Power Corporation to take up government jobs. Now, after several years of service, telling them to go back to a private company is completely unjust; it is playing with the future of electricity workers.
As a second option, if the electricity workers go to other electricity distribution corporations, they will become surplus and will have to be laid off. Not only this, the electricity workers going from Purvanchal and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam to other electricity distribution corporations will be placed below the 2025 batch, i.e., at the bottom in the seniority order as per the rules. It is natural that in case of surplus, these electricity workers will be the first to be laid off.
Giving the example of Delhi, the Sangharsh Samiti said that after privatization in the year 2002, a total of 18,097 electricity workers were working in the electricity distribution corporations of Delhi. Within a year of privatization, 8,190 electricity workers retired, fed up with the harassment of private corporate houses. Thus, within a year of privatization in Delhi, 45% of the electricity workers retired and went home. At that time, electricity workers used to get pension. Now, 90% of the electricity employees working in Purvanchal and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam do not get pension, where will they go after retirement?
Recently, Chandigarh Electricity Department was privatized on 1 February 2025. On the day privatization was done, about 40% of the electricity workers retired and went home. The agreement that was made between the union of electricity workers and the government on the night of 1 February in Chandigarh has not been given in writing till date. The private company is saying that this agreement was made by the government and the company has nothing to do with it. This horrific story of privatization is now being repeated in Uttar Pradesh, which the electricity workers will never accept.
Today, on the 267th day of the ongoing andolan against privatization, electricity workers have resolved to fight decisively against privatization by holding massive protests in all the districts and projects of the state. Electricity workers said that privatization is bringing a future of darkness for electricity workers and their families. Workers said that they will not accept privatization at any cost, and this struggle will continue until the decision of privatization is withdrawn.
Shailendra Dubey
Convenor