Powermen plan 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 the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014.

According to All India Power Engineers’ Federation (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. Dubey said Goyal had assured during the discussions at Kochi that the Centre was making several changes to the bill that would be placed on the internet before the winter session of Parliament.

A B Bardhan, the NCCOEEE convener, has reminded 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 had elapsed. Because of no response from the union power minister, there was a deadlock.

Dubey said leaders of all national federations would be meeting in Delhi on Tuesday 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 the winter session.

He said the central government seemed to be bent upon passing 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.