Just like capitalist companies, the Central government and various state governments also use phrases like “better and efficient usage of workforce”, “efficient and productive usage of people’s money”, “reducing wastage of people’s resources” to cloak their anti-people and anti-worker steps. The real aim behind all such phrases is to make it appear as if “reduction of workforce” is being done actually in the interests of people of our country. But the reality is that various governments are looking at working people as a “tool to be used when needed and discarded when the need is finished”, just like the capitalist class. “Vertical Management System” being implemented in more than 12 cities of Uttar Pradesh is nothing else but that. Uttar Pradesh power sector workers are opposing this step.
Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee correspondent
The Uttar Pradesh Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti has denounced various punitive actions and harassment of UP power sector workers. It has declared that any such actions by the power corporation management would trigger immediate collective “Satyagraha” across all districts of UP in which all permanent and contractual employees as well as engineers will participate.
The Samiti meeting also alleged that the power corporation management is deliberately taking steps to adversely impact the power supply during the hot summer season so that the power sector employees get discredited in the eyes of power consumers, and hence their support can be garnered for the privatization of power sector in UP.
The Samiti meeting pointed out that in spite of their opposition, the power corporation management implemented “Vertical system” of management in more than 12 cities of UP, including Lucknow. This system was implemented ostensibly to improve utilization of power sector workers, reduce financial burden over power corporation and improve service to customers. As a part of implementation of this system, a huge number of contractual employees were removed from service, many permanent posts were surrendered, and hundreds of TG-2 employees were removed. Now a list of engineers to be removed from service is under preparation. After implementation of this new system of management, the power supply service has been badly affected, so much so that even some MLAs of BJP have been forced to appeal to the state government to cancel this new system.
The power sector workers are warning the people of UP that the management and government is wanting to use this situation to push the privatization of distribution by appointing urban distribution franchisees in these big cities, which will be against the interests of electricity consumers.
Braving against all such odds, UP power sector workers are really showing great fighting unity in their struggle which is already going on for more than 400 days. Their struggle is truly inspiring and deserves support of all the working people of our country.