Lucknow: In a unified show of defiance against the proposed privatisation of electricity in Uttar Pradesh, power employees and engineers across the state wore black bands on Tuesday.
The protest, called by the Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, saw participation from employees of all districts, including Lucknow.
Despite their symbolic protest, work remained unaffected as employees pledged to intensify their agitation if their demands were not met.
Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), announced that the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) will convene here on December 11 to formulate a nationwide strategy against the privatisation drive in Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh.
“The NCCOEEE includes major power employee federations from across the country. The meeting will be attended by key leaders, including me, secretary general P Ratnakar Rao, All India Power Diploma Engineers Federation president RK Trivedi and secretary general Abhimanyu Dhankar, among others,” Dubey stated.
In a show of solidarity, power employees in Maharashtra and Punjab held demonstrations demanding that the Uttar Pradesh government withdraw its privatisation proposal. They condemned the move as anti-employee and anti-consumer, urging Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to intervene and halt the process immediately.
Electricity employees across all districts of Uttar Pradesh, from Class IV workers to chief engineers, participated in the protest by wearing black bands. During lunch breaks and after office hours, they raised slogans.
The AIPEF appealed directly to Adityanath, highlighting that under his leadership, the state has achieved a record power supply of 30,000 MW. The federation argued that employees are committed to ensuring an efficient power system and urged the government not to impose privatisation unilaterally.
The December 11 meeting is expected to determine the next course of action, potentially escalating into a nationwide movement if the government fails to address the concerns of power employees.