Nationwide strike by electricity staffers on July 9 to oppose privatisation

Indian Express

24-06-2025

The National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEE) — the apex body representing power sector staffers — has called for a nationwide strike on July 9 to protest the central government's push to privatise electricity distribution.
At a regional convention held in Chandigarh on Tuesday, the committee alleged that the genuine demands of electricity workers were being overlooked. To mobilise public support, joint meetings between consumers and employees will be organised across the country ahead of the strike.
The convention saw participation from hundreds of office bearers and workers representing Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Rajasthan, who unanimously approved the strike call.
'The central government is in a hurry to hand over the power sector to private hands. Therefore, a group of ministers has been formed. There is a preparation to present a bill in Parliament in the monsoon session. To oppose the move, 27 lakh electricity workers and engineers will go on a nationwide general strike on July 9,' convention convener Sudeep Dutta stated.
The convention strongly condemned the proposed privatisation of the Purvanchal and Dakshinchal discoms in Uttar Pradesh and announced a show of solidarity on July 2, supporting the ongoing agitation by electricity employees in the state.
Subhash Lamba, national vice-president of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, said: 'Electricity is a service for the government and a business for the private company. After privatisation, electricity will be out of the reach of the poor and farmers'.
He further criticised the delay in notifying the Eighth Pay Commission, despite earlier announcements. Lamba also flagged other long-pending demands including the restoration of the old pension scheme, regularisation of contract workers, and filling vacant posts through permanent recruitment.
Additionally, Lamba declared resistance to the four labour codes notified by the central government, which he described as a 'document of slavery of workers'. The Centre had earlier notified four labour codes — The Code on Wages, 2019; The Industrial Relations Code, 2020; The Code on Social Security, 2020; and The OSH Code, 2020 — to replace 29 sets of labour laws.