Highlights of the speech of Com. Krishna Bhoyar, Deputy General Secretary, All India Federation of Electricity Employees (AIFEE) and General Secretary, Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation (MSEWF) at the AIFAP meeting on 7 December 2025 to demand repeal of the four labour codes, prepared by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
Main points of the address of Com. Krishna Bhoyar, Deputy General Secretary, All India Federation of Electricity Employees (AIFEE) and General Secretary, Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation (MSEWF) at the All India meeting on “Repeal the Four Labour Codes”, organized by the All India Forum Against Privatisation (AIFAP) on 7 December 2025 are given below.
On 9th October, 2025, the Government of India released the draft Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025. All corporates in electricity sector have been asked to give their opinions. They implemented the 2003 Electricity Act by unbundling electricity sector into separate companies in generation, transmission and distribution. There are only a few companies remaining in generation under Central or State Government. Many transmission companies are given to private companies, for example, M.P. transmission is fully taken over by Adani.
In the distribution sector, there are 44 companies that are in various States and out of this 13 are under private capitalists. They have tried various amendments to the Electricity Act 2003 since 2014 but they could not succeed because of the strong opposition from electricity workers. Chief Ministers of 13 states had written to the Central Government opposing these amendments. Now again the Central Government has brought EAB 2025 which is to benefit the big capitalists. The main purpose of this bill is to hand over the 31 distribution companies that are under the ownership of the state government to the corporates.
Just as the States have to be consulted for any amendments to the labour laws, the state governments should be consulted for any amendments to the Electricity Act. Since the Central Government could not pass the electricity amendment bills so far, they used the loopholes in the Electricity Act 2003 and implemented privatisation in certain states and union territories. In certain union territories like Jammu and Kashmir, the workers unitedly opposed privatisation.
In the month of November 2024, Chandigarh Electricity Distribution was taken over by Goenka. Before that Orissa distribution company was given to Tatas. Now the Central Government wants to hand over the entire distribution sector to private capitalists. Using the parallel licensing provision in EAB 2025, private corporates want to enter the profitable areas for electricity distribution in all the states. These are the industrial and commercial establishments excluding domestic consumers. According to the Electricity Act, 2003, any private corporate wishing to enter electricity distribution, they have to set up their own infrastructure. But after the new Bill, there is a change and the capitalist can use the existing infrastructure and the network of the State Discoms. The subsidised electricity that is provided for the poorer people, farmers and social schemes was funded by the higher rate for industrial and commercial establishments. But with privatisation this will be stopped. The capitalists will be given a free hand to increase the rates.
When electricity distribution goes into private hands or franchisees, we have the experience that this model has failed. The corporates raised the electricity rates in Delhi and Chandigarh after taking over the distribution. In Orissa which was given to Tatas, the people are agitating and also in Chandigarh. In Maharashtra, in Bhiwandi, Malegaon and Mumbra, which were given on franchise, the people are agitating and MPs and MLAs are also participating.
Now the Government of Maharashtra has issued tenders for installing 2.2 crore smart meters in Maharashtra. Many agitations have been organised against smart meters by people and political parties and they have not succeeded in putting it up.
Despite knowing this the Government wants to privatise electricity distribution. The private corporates are only interested in earning more profits and not giving service to the people at affordable rates.
EAB 2025 will not be placed before the current parliamentary session but will be presented in the next session in March 2026.
Electricity workers will not allow the privatisation of electricity distribution. We have opposed in the past and we will oppose it now to protect domestic consumers.
The Government wants to suppress the fight of the organised working class and so is passing the four labour codes.