Power Sector Employees to hold nationwide strike on December 8

Lucknow, Nov 30: Leaders of power sector national federations would meet in Delhi on Tuesday to finalise their strategy for a day-long strike on December 8 against the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014.

The strike is to be observed by power employees, engineers and contract workers.

All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) chairman Shailendra Dubey told reporters here on Monday the National Coordination Committee Of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has already served the strike notice on union Power Minister Piyush Goyal at Kochi, Kerala, earlier this month during the power ministers’ conference.

Leaders of all national federations would be meeting on Tuesday in the national capital to finalise the strategy for the strike, he said.

Goyal had assured the employees’ representatives at Kochi that the central government is making several changes to the bill, to be placed in public domain and inviting comments before the winter session of parliament, Dubey said.

Despite opposition of power sector employees, the government has placed the electricity bill on the agenda of the Lok Sabha for on-going winter session, he added.

He also said more than a week has passed without any response from the power minister to NCCOEEE convener A.B. Bardhan’s letter about the minister’s promise at Kochi.

A crucial amendment to the bill proposes to separate carriage from content, that is to segregate the power distribution network from electricity supply business.

Dubey alleged that the amendments to the electricity bill were not based on ground realities, but were meant only to serve the interests of the private sector, provoking bankruptcy among state-run power utilities.  (IANS)