Power sector employees to go on a one-day nationwide strike on December 8.
Lucknow:
Power sector employees, engineers and contract workers would go on a one-day nationwide strike on December 8 against Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014.
According to AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey, National Coordination Committee Of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) had already served the strike/work boycott notice to Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal at Kochi on November 6 during the power ministers' conference.
Mr Dubey said Mr Goyal had assured during the discussions at Kochi that the Centre is making several changes to the bill that would be placed on Internet before Winter Session of Parliament.
NCCOEEE convener AB Bardhan has reminded Mr Goyal through a letter about his promises to redress the issues raised by workers and engineers at Kochi, but more than a week's time has elapsed and because of no response from the Union Power Minister, there was a deadlock.
Mr Dubey said leaders of all national federations would be meeting in Delhi tomorrow to finalise the strategy for the strike.
The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) chairman added that despite opposition of power employees and engineers, central government has placed Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 on the agenda of Lok Sabha for Winter Session.
He said the central government seems to be bent upon to pass the Bill in the ongoing session, hence power employees and engineers throughout the country have been asked to observe strike/work boycott on December 8 as a token protest.
He alleged that the amendments in the electricity bill were not based upon ground realities, but were meant only to watch the interest of private players and will make state power utilities financially bankrupt.
The amendments in the Bill, which seeks to segregate the power distribution network from electricity supply business, was basically anti-people and does not look at root cause of power sector ailments but only treat the symptoms of problems, he further alleged.
According to AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey, National Coordination Committee Of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) had already served the strike/work boycott notice to Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal at Kochi on November 6 during the power ministers' conference.
Mr Dubey said Mr Goyal had assured during the discussions at Kochi that the Centre is making several changes to the bill that would be placed on Internet before Winter Session of Parliament.
NCCOEEE convener AB Bardhan has reminded Mr Goyal through a letter about his promises to redress the issues raised by workers and engineers at Kochi, but more than a week's time has elapsed and because of no response from the Union Power Minister, there was a deadlock.
Mr Dubey said leaders of all national federations would be meeting in Delhi tomorrow to finalise the strategy for the strike.
The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) chairman added that despite opposition of power employees and engineers, central government has placed Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 on the agenda of Lok Sabha for Winter Session.
He said the central government seems to be bent upon to pass the Bill in the ongoing session, hence power employees and engineers throughout the country have been asked to observe strike/work boycott on December 8 as a token protest.
He alleged that the amendments in the electricity bill were not based upon ground realities, but were meant only to watch the interest of private players and will make state power utilities financially bankrupt.
The amendments in the Bill, which seeks to segregate the power distribution network from electricity supply business, was basically anti-people and does not look at root cause of power sector ailments but only treat the symptoms of problems, he further alleged.
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