Letter by Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers, Officers Action Committee to the Chief Minster and Energy Minister of Maharashtra State
Restructuring invariably has led to reduction of workforce and often been used to make organization attractive for privatisation. Restructuring has led to increased workload on the remaining workers. The opposition of electricity workers to restructuring proposal is fully justified.
The handing over substation to private capitalists is not in the interest of consumers and workers and must be opposed.
(Translation of letter in Marathi)
Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers, Officers Action Committee
To,
Hon. Chief Minister and Energy Minister,
Maharashtra State, Ministry,
Mumbai 400 032
Date 22 September 2025
Subject: Regarding immediate stopping of implementation of wrong proposal of restructuring in Mahavitaran Company
Reference:-
- Meeting held on 18-02-2025 at the Director level regarding restructuring and proposals received.
- Meeting held on 11-09-2025 at the Director (Operations) level.
- Board Resolution No. 478, dated 23-02-2005 as well as MPR No. 29, dated 4-11-2010.
- MPR No. 117, dated 01-01-2020.
- Action Committee letter dated 16th September 2025.
Sir,
As per reference no. 1, after the proposal regarding employee restructuring was made available to all the unions in the meeting organized by the Mahavitaran Company, all the unions participating in the action committee deliberated on it in detail. As the said restructuring policy was incomplete, unclear and unrealistic, the unions had demanded more clarity in this regard. The Mahavitaran Company made a revised proposal available to the labor unions and suggested discussing it.
However, the Mahavitaran Company, without considering labor unions’ side, organized a meeting again on this issue at the Director (Operations) level as per reference no. 2. In this meeting too, the management did not clarify the Mahavitaran Company’s stand regarding the government’s policy. Similarly, the proposal and position of the unions participating in the action committee were not positively considered in the revised proposal. Therefore, considering the growing dissatisfaction among electricity employees, protest meetings were held on 19 September 2025 as per reference no. 5.
Even after this, considering the role of the management, on 21.09.2025, an online meeting of the unions action committee was held and a decision was taken unanimously to completely oppose the said restructuring proposal, which would be fatal for the future existence of the Mahavitaran Company and the employees of the company.
In this regard, it remains unclear whether the Maharashtra Government has consented to the policy or not. Furthermore, the intention behind deciding the said policy and the stand of the Company has not been informed to the labor unions. Therefore, considering the serious consequences on the future existence of the Mahavitaran Company and the employees of the company, the dissatisfaction created among the customers, as well as the serious consequences on the bill collection and revenue of the company and the consequent financial loss, the unions action committee unanimously decided to oppose the said restructuring proposal.
On the one hand, while the wrong and ever-changing policies of the management have created an atmosphere of confusion and insecurity among electricity employees, the administration is trying to impose new unilateral policies from time to time without taking any concrete measures. Today, while efforts are being made to create an environment to hand over 329 electricity substations with parallel electricity distribution licenses to private capitalists, there is a need to formulate a sustainable and positive policy to take the state on the path of progress by safeguarding the interests of the Mahavitaran Company, which has been granted state status under Article 12 of the Constitution, and all the employees of this company. However, without taking any concrete measures from this perspective, there are attempts to attack the very existence of the Mahavitaran Company. The action committee has unanimously decided to oppose those responsible for such attempts. The reasons for this are as follows.
- The Central Government introduced the Electricity Act Amendment Bill 2003 to restructure the electricity industry, i.e., to allow private investors/capitalists to enter the electricity distribution sector on the basis of Sections 14 and 15, for passage in the Parliament from time to time since 2014. The said amendment bill has not been passed yet and the Act has not been amended yet. Therefore, the proposed restructuring is not approved by the Government.
- The restructuring proposal received by the trade unions is mainly related to the staffing pattern and working norms. In this regard, a similar proposal has been approved earlier as per reference no. 3 and 4. However, the reality of its implementation as well as its favorable or unfavorable effects has not been put before the trade unions yet.
- Why have the vacant posts not been filled when about 30% to 32% of the total sanctioned posts in the Mahavitaran Company are vacant and its far-reaching effects are being felt on the financial progress of the company and customer service? No information has been provided to labor unions regarding this either.
- Workers’ unions have not yet received any resolution from the company responsible for such restructuring. Similarly, no information has been provided to the unions regarding which other states have implemented such restructuring and what positive or negative effects have been observed. Similarly, there is no clarity regarding what exactly is to be achieved from the proposed restructuring, as well as the responsibility for any loss of revenue.
- In the Integrated Report published by the Ministry of Power of the Central Government in February 2025, the Mahavitaran Company has been ranked last. The management has not presented any clarity to the labor unions regarding which factors or wrong policies of the management are responsible for this situation.
- While the Electricity Act Amendment Bill has not been passed in Parliament yet, the illegal process of handing over 329 power substations of the Mahavitaran Company to private capitalists has been started. Therefore, is this wrong restructuring proposal being brought to take measures to create a revenue deficit by handing over the substations of the Mahavitaran Company to private capitalists and introducing a private parallel power distribution system in the state? Such a question has arisen before the public and the electricity employees of the state.
Therefore, since the restructuring model put before the trade unions is incomplete, unrealistic and impractical and there is no clarity about the future empowerment of the Mahavitaran Company in it, all the union participating in the action committee have opposed the restructuring proposal. Also, considering the dissatisfaction created among the electricity employees if the implementation of the said policy is not stopped, a decision has been taken unanimously to protest from 01.10.2025. The stages of the protest will be informed before 30.09.2025. It should be noted that since the management is deliberately trying to impose such a strike, the administration will be solely responsible for any disruption of industrial peace or impact on customer service due to this strike.
You are requested to instruct the management of Mahavitaran Company at your level to stop the implementation of the proposed wrong restructuring proposal. Also, in the future, a meeting should be organized at your level to stop unreasonable privatization and give up the policy of granting parallel electricity distribution licenses and decide an effective policy from the perspective of the interests of the state as well as the interests of the employees working in the company.
Yours sincerely,
Unions participating in the Action Committee
