Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent based on information received from Com. Suresh Rathi, Principal Secretary, All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union, and Member, United Front, Haryana
Recently, in the face of a nearly 40-hour strike by Haryana electricity workers, the Haryana state government was forced to bow down and announce that it would not grant parallel licenses. The militant unity of all electricity workers—from helpers to engineers—the support of electricity workers across the country, and the active support of numerous other workers’ organizations, farmers’ organizations, and consumers to the strike made this movement so powerful.
In Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Puducherry, and most recently, Karnataka, ordinary people and their organizations took to the streets to fight against the privatization of the power sector. It is a crucial truth that victory in the anti-privatization struggle will only be ensured by such unity.
Learn what electricity workers in Haryana did in this direction, in their own words, from Comrade Suresh Rathi:
“In June 2026, we learned that the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission was preparing to grant parallel licenses. We found that Eleven Power Private Limited had applied for one. We also learned that the Haryana government was expediting the installation of smart meters and was about to create a separate company to supply electricity to agriculture.
It was clear to us that all these steps were against the interests not only of electricity workers but also of the general public.
Therefore, we immediately called a meeting of all electricity worker unions and engineer associations and formed a united front. Understanding that this struggle is not only for workers but also for all consumers, we held discussions with consumer struggle forums, Samyukta Kisan Morcha, and other workers’ organizations, and formed a united front. Thereafter, in coordination with everyone, we systematically organized a campaign against the privatization of electricity, going to gram panchayats, district councils, and rural and urban colonies. Numerous objections were written to the government and the regulatory commission. Everyone was encouraged to participate in public hearings and oppose these plans.
It is the common experience that when permanent employees protest, governments often suppress their movement by keeping operations running through temporary workers. Therefore, right from the time this joint front was formed, we initiated talks with contract workers’ unions and included them in the joint front. Contractual and temporary workers have many important demands, such as wage increases, equal pay for equal work, medical allowances, and regularization of those who have been working on temporary basis for more than two years. They strongly believed that we have always supported their struggles for these demands and will continue to do so in the future. Therefore, they wholeheartedly joined this struggle.
We also ensured coordination with national-level electricity workers’ organizations such as EEFI, NCCOEEE, AIPEF, etc.
As a result of this, we received everyone’s cooperation in the numerous protests and meetings we organized. Then, when the strike began, several Khap Panchayats, workers’ organizations, farmers’ organizations, and political parties wrote letters to the government supporting the strike. Electricity employee organizations from Himachal Pradesh and Punjab refused to participate in the Haryana government’s conspiracy to foil our strike.
Forty hours after the historic successful strike, the Haryana government was forced to bow down and announce in a press conference that it would not grant parallel distribution licenses. The entire credit for this victory goes to the strong unity of electricity workers, consumers, farmers, and other workers’ organizations. It is only through such united struggles that successful resistance to privatization plans is possible.
Com. Suresh Rathi
Principal Secretary, All Haryana Power Corporation Workers Union
Member, United Front, Haryana
9896345282”