Report received from Com. Krushna Bhoyar, General Secretary, Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation
(Translated from the original Marathi report)
National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) Delhi Meeting Update
Background of the Meeting
On July 27, 2023, the meeting of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers was held at BT Ranadive Bhavan, New Delhi under the chairmanship of Comrade Ratnakar Rao. The leaders of seven major organizations leading the employees and engineers across the country participated in this meeting. Comrade Mahendra Rai (Uttar Pradesh) and Comrade Krishna Bhoyar (Maharashtra) attended this meeting on behalf of All India Federation of Electricity Employees.
The central government has launched attacks on the power sector in different ways to destroy the public power sector and gift it to corporate capitalists. The Central Government has been trying to pass the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in the Parliament since 2014. In 2022, despite the opposition of many states, the Bill is pending before the Standing Committee of the Lok Sabha due to opposition MPs opposing the Bill.
As the Electricity (Amendment) Act 2022 could not be passed in the parliament, the government has deliberately made unilateral changes and amendments to the regulations based on the Electricity Act of 2003 for private corporate houses. Deliberate push towards corporate-controlled high cost electricity market, sudden introduction of Time of Day (TOD) tariff, privatization of generation and transmission through NMP and attacks on state power companies have continued.
Through amended distribution sector schemes, the central government has launched a program to install smart meters for domestic consumers on a large scale in various states through the TOTEX model, thereby opening up a multi-crore market for Adani and other private investors. Large-scale deployment of smart meters is an attempt to allow licensing of parallel power distribution to private capitalists and eventually hand over government companies to them. Ensuring private companies’ access to state utilities’ networks, eliminating all cross-subsidies for agricultural and poor consumers, and capturing and manipulating real-time data of every household will destroy the sovereignty and power sector and endanger the food security of our country. This is very harmful and in contradiction to the federal structure enshrined in our constitution. This will put a large portion of electricity infrastructure of our country in the hands of private capitalists. This Modi government is trying to force state governments by blackmailing and threatening to withdraw all the existing schemes of the Centre. In today’s meeting, NCCOEEE has resolved to distribute leaflets and hold public rallies and meetings to sensitize power consumers on a large scale and inform all the workers, farmers and domestic consumers about the consequences of privatization of the power industry.
NCCOEEE has decided to contact other trade unions, farmers, students, youths, women and various social organizations to form a united resistance movement against this scheme. The following program is fixed to oppose the Electricity Act-2022 and the Central Government’s electricity policy.
- The government of Uttar Pradesh has taken strict action like suspension against the employees and engineers who went on strike on 16.03.2023 against the policy of privatization of power companies in Uttar Pradesh and even though the power minister has instructed the administration of power companies to immediately withdraw the action against the employees and engineers, the administration is not taking action. 124 leaders of employee unions are still suspended. The UP government’s action against the striking electricity workers is a deadly attack to suppress the agitation. NCCOEEE has resolved to stand firmly with the Uttar Pradesh electricity workers in today’s NCCOEEE meeting. In support of Uttar Pradesh employees, NCCOEEE has decided to protest on 9th August 2023 in front of various state capitals and offices of power companies.
- A huge rally will be organized on behalf of Uttar Pradesh Bijli Sangharsh Samiti in front of Shakti Bhavan in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. The national leaders of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers will be present and guiding this rally.
- On behalf of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers, a letter will be written to the Chief Minister and the Energy Minister of Uttar Pradesh, requesting immediate withdrawal of the action taken against the employees. Also, on 12 August 2023, the office bearers of NCCOEEE will meet the Chief Minister and the Energy Minister.
- On August 24, 2023, all the Central Trade Unions and Farmers’ Unions of the country have decided to participate in the National Convention, which is organized at Talkatora Stadium, Delhi, against the central government’s anti-worker and anti-farmer policies. It has been decided to support and participate in this meeting.
- NCCOEEE passed a resolution to protest against the anti-people electricity policy and to get support for it. For this, a grand state-level open joint convention should be organized by farmers’ associations, labour unions and electricity consumers across the state from 1 September 2023 to 31 September 2023 with the support of Central Trade Union and Samyukt Kisan Morcha.
- It has been decided that between 1 October 2023 to 31 October 2023, regional meetings should be held across the country to unite electricity consumers, employees, farmers and public.
- During the next session of the Lok Sabha in the month of November or December 2023, it has been decided to organize a huge march against the Electricity Act 2022 and the central government’s electricity policy during the session of the parliament.
The meeting was concluded by thanking all the dignitaries present.
Your faithful
Comrade Krishna Bhoyar
National Secretary,
All India Federation of Electricity Employees