UP Power Staff Begins 3-Day Strike, Government Warns Of Strict actions

The government, however, warned of action against the striking employees under the ESMA if the strike creates problems for the public and sacking of contractual workers if they do not return to work.

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As the dialogue between the state government and a section of protesting Uttar Pradesh power department employees failed to yield any result, the protesting employees went on a 72-hour-long strike beginning on Thursday night.

Employees have been demanding the implementation of an agreement of December 3 with the government and have warned that if any of the employees that are protesting get arrested or harassed then it would result in an indefinite strike.

The government, however, warned of action against the striking employees under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) if the strike creates problems for the public and sacking of contractual workers if they do not return to work. The government further warned of invoking the National Security Act (NSA) against those threatening other employees or damaging public property during the protest.

State Energy Minister A.K. Sharma said, "The Chief Secretary has already alerted the district magistrates, asking them to toughly deal with strikers." The authorities, on the other hand, to protect the consumers have said that all alternative arrangements to keep the power supply up on track have been made. 

Sharma admitted that the talks with the UP Vidyut Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti leaders to end the strike had failed to produce the desired result. As per Sharma, during the talks, the government even agreed to consider the implementation of the majority of the points of the December 3 argument including point number 13 which talks about quashing FIRs filed against the power employees to date.

He further said, "We already announced the decision to provide cashless treatment facility to all power personnel, pensioners and their families in all government hospitals and earlier gave them bonus despite the UPPCL's fragile financial health."

He said that the door for talks and negotiations would still be open, however, if any striker is found creating any trouble then they would be dealt with in a tough manner. Sharma added, "They chose to go on strike ignoring our pleas at a time when people need a smooth power supply in the summer season that has already set in." 

UPPCL Chairman M. Devraj said while updating on the progress made to ensure safety of the consumers interests said, "The NTPC and the private power plants' staff have been roped in to run the thermal plants while employees of the electricity wing in departments like irrigation, PWD, Nagar Nigam will take care of power distribution as well as students of engineering colleges will render their services in taking care of power distribution."

He claimed the UP Power Officers' Union had assured that its engineers would put in two more hours of labour throughout the strike.

On the other hand, Sangharsh Samiti convenor Shailendra Dubey said that the strike had been imposed on the workers because the government was unable to implement the December 3 agreement because of the UPPCL senior management's stubbornness. Dubey said, "The minister was asking us to defer strike plan without giving an assurance on implementation of the December 3 agreement that was signed in his presence. We deferred work boycott agitation then with the government assuring us to implement the agreement in 15 days."

The main points of the agreement, according to him, were that the government would, as soon as possible, begin the process of appointing the chairman and managing director of UPPCL through a selection process as prescribed and not through a routine transfer-posting route, that UPPCL would provide time-bound pay scales to all employees, as it had done previously, and that it would introduce a law protecting employees in the power sector.

He said, "Our strike is only for 72 hours and the government can use this period to implement the agreement," he said.