The Vidyut Karamchari Samyukta Sangharsh Samiti, Uttar Pradesh has intensified the campaign against the privatization of electricity. On 25 January 2025, electricity employees across the state protested against privatization by wearing black bands. Soon afterwards, the committee organized a candle march. Also, a joint meeting of the central executive of workers-organizations has been called in Lucknow on1 February. The future strategy of the campaign will be decided in this meeting.
On 23 January, employees of the electricity department demonstrated outside Shakti Bhawan in Lucknow against privatization. The protesters raised slogans against privatization. This demonstration was organized to oppose the conference (pre-bidding conference) being held on 23 January for privatization of the electricity sector in UP.
On the call of Vidyut Karamchari Samyukta Sangharsh Samiti, electricity workers demonstrated in every district to oppose the privatization of electricity in Uttar Pradesh. Under the scheduled program, electricity workers organized big meetings on 23 January in Varanasi, Agra, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Azamgarh, Basti, Sant Kabir Nagar, Devipatan, Ayodhya, Sultanpur, Bareilly, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Bulandshahar, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Aligarh, Mathura, Etah, Kanpur, Jhansi, Orai, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Obra, Pipri, Anpara, Harduaganj and Jawaharpur.
The Sangharsh Samiti declaredthe process of appointing anadviser (transaction consultant) in the matter of privatization of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam as illegal. They have demanded that it be cancelled immediately. It is noteworthy that in this regard, on 5 April 2018, a written agreement was signed with the then Energy Minister and on 6 October 2020, a written agreement was signed with the then FinanceMinister and the then Energy Minister.
It is clearly written in these agreements that while maintaining the existing system of power distribution in Uttar Pradesh, the employees will be taken into confidence for improving the power system. The Samiti has pointed out that the process of privatization is being carried forward in violation of this agreement.
Shailendra Dubey, the convener of the Joint Sangharsh Samiti, said that there are a total of 45,330 posts of employees in Purvanchal Discom. About 28,000 contract workers work in these posts and there are 17,430 regular employees. If privatization is implemented, the contract workers will be rendered jobless. There will also be large-scale retrenchment of workers.
Farmers are currently entitled to free electricity which will cease after privatization. At the same time, financially marginalised consumers are receiving the benefits of free connections. Electricity will become expensive for them after privatization.
Electricity workers have warned that their movement against privatization will continue until the privatization decision is withdrawn.
It may be noted that since the 1990s, all the governments that have come to power have implemented the privatization program with full vigour. To promote privatization, governments have very deliberately weakened many enterprises that provide basic public services and made them sick, so that their privatization can be justified. Railways, banks, insurance, BSNL and MTNL, road and air transport, education and health care, etc., all of these have been privatized in this manner. Similarly, the central and state governments have deliberately made the state electricity boards and government distribution companies financially weak so that these companies can be handed over to monopoly capitalists at give-away prices.
The struggle against privatisation is a struggle of workers, peasants and other toiling people against the capitalist class led by monopoly capitalist houses. The currentorientation of the economy to satisfy the greed of monopoly capitalists for maximum profits must be changed. The economy must be directed towards meeting the needs of all toiling people. With this perspective, workers and peasants must carry forward the struggle against privatisation. There is an urgent need for the working class to take political power in its hands and bring all the principal means of production under social ownership. Only by doing this immediately can the economy be given a new direction and the needs of all members of society be met.