Power privatisation: Chandigarh electricity employees to launch back-to-back protests

The UT Powermen Union stated it has “prepared the outline of its struggle against the wrong process of privatisation started by the Chandigarh Administration, Engineering Department”.

They stated that the officials were not paying heed to the suggestions given by the union earlier and they were against their arbitrariness.

In the first phase of the agitation, “protest rallies and demonstrations will be held in all offices from Monday, that is November 11”.

“After that, a meeting will be held soon and a massive protest dharna will be held. The date of the same shall be announced in a day or two, in which employees of different departments of UT, electricity employees and engineers of neighbouring states and representatives of different institutions and organisations will also participate,” said Gopal Joshi, general secretary of the power union.

The employees have also invited Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari to support them in this demonstration. They stated that on the same day, electricity employees and engineers of the whole country will also protest in their respective states, about which the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers has also taken a decision.

Union president Dhyan Singh, general secretary Gopal Dutt Joshi, senior vice-president Amrik Singh, vice-president Sukhwinder Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Swarn Singh and other officials alleged that the “Chandigarh Administration is repeating the mistake of starting the bidding process in 2020 and has started the process of LOE even before making a transfer policy before bidding, taking objections from the employees and making a unanimous multilateral agreement, whereas the former advisor to the Administrator had admitted in the union meeting that the officers had made a mistake and it will be rectified.”

Joshi said, “But instead of paying attention to this, the officers are repeating the old mistake and are arbitrarily creating an atmosphere of anger and fear among the employees which will not be tolerated at any cost and the government status of the employees will not be allowed to change.”

The union has also given a memorandum to the Administrator’s Advisor to stop the officers from going ahead and taking provocative actions.

“But it does not seem that the officers are paying attention to this, which will have serious consequences,” Joshi said.