Chandigarh, December 16:
The Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) Vice-President, Subhash Lamba, announced on Sunday that Chandigarh’s power department employees would not cooperate with any private company.
Protesting the privatization of Chandigarh’s power sector, electricity workers have been staging daily demonstrations.
On Sunday, the EEFI’s North Zone convened an online meeting to deliberate on the public and employees’ opposition to privatization. The meeting was led by Subhash Lamba, EEFI’s national vice-president, along with Suresh Rathi, the state president of the All Haryana Power Corporations Workers Union.
Lamba criticized the administration’s decision to transfer Chandigarh’s power department to a private entity starting January 1, despite widespread disapproval from employees and the general public. He asserted that Chandigarh’s electricity workers, who follow central government service rules, cannot be compelled to work under a private employer.
Union representatives from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir also participated in the meeting, warning the administration against forcibly transferring the department. They pledged solidarity, stating that power workers from their states would resist if the privatization proceeded. They further warned that any coercive measures taken by the administration would provoke strong opposition, including protests and strikes.
The meeting condemned the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to privatize Purvanchal and Dakshinchal Discom, emphasizing the adverse impact on public services and workers’ rights.
A plan of action was outlined to bolster the December 19 protests against the privatization of UP Discom and Chandigarh’s electricity department. Lamba also highlighted the importance of upcoming events, including the Lucknow panchayat on December 22 and the joint mahapanchayat of employees and the public in Chandigarh on December 25, both of which the federation resolved to support.
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