Electricity workers on strike for 72 hours in UP, around 1 lakh workers joined the strike and united.
The staff went on strike on Thursday in protest of irregular payments and the failure of the chairman selection process to meet specific requirements. Around 1 lakh workers joined the strike and united under the umbrella of the electrical department workers’ union, Vidyut Karmacharis Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti. On Thursday, the striking workers demonstrated throughout the state.
The staff went on strike on Thursday in protest of irregular payment and the failure of the chairman selection process to meet specific requirements. However, if the contractual employees don’t report back to work, the Uttar Pradesh government has threatened to impose heavy penalties under the National Security Act (NSA) and the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the event that public unrest results from the three-day strike of Uttar Pradesh electricity department employees that is now in progress. the administration has vowed to terminate them.
The administration also said that if any public property was vandalized during the strike and damaged, legal action would be taken under the National Security Act. In light of the strike, the administration has also issued an alert in the state.
On December 23 of last year, the state government and the employees came to an arrangement on a number of issues; nevertheless, even three months later, not all of those improvements had been put into place, according to Samiti Convenor Shailendra Dubey.
What are the demands placed by workers? He added that the government has also approved the adjustment to the procedure for choosing the chairman and managing director of the electricity firms. By agreement of all parties, it was agreed that the chief secretary would serve as the chairperson of the committee that would choose the chairman and MD. Even three months after the ruling, transfers are now being used to fill these positions.
Along with choosing the top leaders, the government also consented to the Power Sector Employees Protection Act’s implementation, the blockage of the outsourcing of the running and upkeep of electricity sub-stations for transmission, equal pay for various corporations, the revised version of allowances, and the elimination of salary inconsistencies/.
However, fundamental services including power supply and generation have been kept out of the purview of the strike. The officers were also not supporting this strike.
State Power Minister A K Sharma told reporters on Thursday evening that the power employees were adamant about the strike even after a sympathetic attitude by the government towards their demands.
