INTTUC’s Shramik Karmachari Union wins CESC election

Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC)-affiliated CESC Shramik Karmachari Union on Friday secured 86.6 per cent votes in the election, its president, state Power minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee said.

Chatterjee congratulated CESC employees who voted for INTTUC and said it would work for the benefit of the workers.

Before 2011, CESC union was controlled by CITU and relatives of many front ranking leaders were employees of CESC. Chatterjee who has been the president of the union for the past two decades said his supporters used to secure 2 per cent votes in the election. Sometimes it went up to 10 per cent to 11 per cent and recently it went up to 49 per cent. 

“But winning the election by such overwhelming majority is undoubtedly a great achievement. The workers have full faith in Mamata Banerjee and they feel that under her leadership their interest will be looked after properly.”

It may be recalled that the power sector used to be controlled by CPI(M) and in West Bengal State Electricity Board, the union leaders were more powerful than the engineers and without any knowledge of transmission or distribution , they used to intervene in administration. 

The engineers who refused to comply were transferred. The power ministers like Prabir Sengupta and Mrinal Banerjee were tools in the hands of the union leaders. Shankar Sen who was first to raise his voice against them had to quit after differences with the party increased.

The picture began to change after 2008 Panchayat election and 2009 Lok Sabha elections when Trinamool Congress posed a serious threat to CPI(M). Subsequently after 2011 Assembly election, the party lost its control over the power sector. Massive changes took place in the power sector and almost all the villages will be brought under the supply net by 2016-17 financial year.