Electricity employees have declared a nationwide movement against the efforts to privatise electricity, aiming to provide affordable rates to all. The movement encompasses 12-point demands, including the regularisation of contract workers, restoration of old pensions, and filling vacant posts through permanent recruitment. This decision was made during the National Working Committee meeting of the Electricity Employees Federation of India held in Hyderabad on January 9-10.
Subhash Lamba and Suresh Rathi, Vice Presidents of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, shared this information, stating that in the first phase of the movement, state, district, circle, division, and sub-division meetings will be organised from January 22 to February 5 to discuss the demand letter.
In the second phase, demonstrations will be held in all circles and divisions on February 9, and in the third phase on February 16, electricity employees will take to the streets in large numbers for major protest actions. Following this, street meetings will be organised to educate common consumers about the adverse effects of the government’s anti-labor, anti-employee, anti-people, and anti-national energy policy. Suresh Rathi and Ajay Vashisht, the President of All Haryana Power Corporations Workers Union and Treasurer of EEFI respectively, who attended the National Working Committee meeting in Hyderabad, stated that the declared movement will be implemented in the state.
Subhash Lamba, Vice President of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, mentioned in the meeting that the multi-directional measures being taken by the central government to destroy the public power sector and hand it over to its close corporate associates were discussed. Multi-pronged attacks were detailed, with Lamba pointing out that the fraudulently increased price of imported coal by a corporate group and the mandatory imported coal blending order by the Central Government are putting an additional burden of Rs 35-40 thousand crore per year on the people of India and electricity consumers.
On the other hand, betraying the farmers and violating the written promises made to them, the government is planning to pass the infamous Electricity (Amendment) Bill in Parliament again. If this Bill becomes an Act, all cross-subsidies to farmers and poor consumers will end, and profitable sectors of distribution and public electricity infrastructure will be handed over to private companies, while unprofitable sectors will go to state discoms. He pointed out that the push towards volatile real-time virtual markets controlled by private players has already started to impact the price of electricity.
The central government has also allowed private players to sell electricity in the virtual market at the rate of Rs 50 per unit. Besides all this, the government has essentially come up with powerful prepaid private smart metering plans. Under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Modi government, consumers in almost all states will have to pay Rs 10 and 12 thousand for getting meters installed.
Private metering companies like Adani or Tata will have all the real-time consumption details of each consumer, control of the network, and payment processes. Practically, the people and the state discoms will be in the pockets of these corporate groups. From the day of the installation of the smart meter, tariff timing will be effective, imposing higher tariffs during regular working hours, i.e., 5-12 pm. He said that with prepaid meters, farmers, poor consumers, small shop holders, or manufacturers have to pay a higher rate of tariff in advance.
If the balance decreases, the connection will be automatically disconnected. Imagine that a farmer using a 7.5 HP pump has to pay Rs 10,000 in advance per month! This will have a huge impact on our food security, lead to privatization, and result in the loss of jobs for thousands of electricity workers. Consequently, anger is growing among electricity employees across the country, compelling them to protest
