Power sector workers of UP oppose privatisation

The Vidyut Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (Power Employees Joint Action Committee) in Uttar Pradesh has demanded scrapping of the decision of the UPPCL to handover Kanpur’s power distribution management to a private company. The Union Samiti consists of workers in all three wings — generation, transmission and distribution.

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Power workers of Orissa protest against Southco

Activists of the Orissa State Electricity Board Bijuli Karmachari Sangh (OSEBBKS), southern zone held a demonstration and dharna in front of the corporate headquarters of the private power distribution company Southco in Behrampur on June 17, 2010. They were protesting against non-fulfilment of agreements with employees relating to filling of all vacancies of field staff, regularisation of contract employees and payment of yearly increment to linesmen.

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Ford workers form union to fight for rights

Workers at Ford India near Chennai have formed a union (FIEMU) and have demanded that the Company negotiate with their union. Ford, like many other multinational companies, has the practice of actively discouraging the formation of unions. Instead it appoints a “workers committee” and deals with workers through such a committee.

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Railway contract workers

In 1994, the Central Adminstrative Tribunal, Chandigarh, had ruled that workers working with the Railways on basis of Casual Labour Service must be absorbed as permanent workers. Sixteen years, later, the Railways has refused to implement this directive. According to the rules, the Railways had to absorb these erstwhile casual workers as permanent workers, once it stopped recruitment of casual labour.

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