AP: Power Sector Employees, Engineers to go on Indefinite Strike from Aug 10 After Talks Fail

New Delhi: Employees of the Andhra Pradesh electricity department are all set to go on an indefinite strike from tonight (Wednesday) after talks with the government failed to yield any results. The employees have been demanding a hike in salaries amid rising inflation, a stop to privatisation, installation of pre-paid smart meters among other things.

On Tuesday, the APSPE JAC (Join Action Council) leaders met with the government officials but the talks failed to reach a conclusion. The JAC has now decided to go on an indefinite strike from Wednesday night, Deccan Chronicle reported.

Meanwhile, the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has extended its full support to the striking power sector employees and engineers in Andhra Pradesh.

In a press statement, NCCOEEE said its “stands firmly” with the struggling employees and engineers who are preparing to go on strike from August 10 under the aegis of Andhra Pradesh State Power Employees Joint Action Committee (APSPE JAC), as well the Struggle Committee comprising of trade unions and associations of powermen of Andhra Pradesh.”

“The employees and engineers have been agitating since Jul 27 for their demands. The APSPE JAC as well Struggle Committee said they had submitted a detailed charter of demands raising the issues of direct payment, equal pay for equal work, absorption of working contractual workers as permanent employees, settlement of pay revision pending from January 2022, expeditious recruitment to fill up vacancies in all posts of AP power utilities, conversion of 1999 to 2004 recruited workers provident fund from EPF to GPF etc, etc to the government,” said the release.

According to NCCOEEE, the management finally agreed for a meeting July 20, “but arrogantly cancelled the pre-scheduled meeting which created a huge rage among the fighting power sector workers. From 4th August they have resorted to work to rule. On 8th August the struggling employees and engineers organised a Maha Dharna at Vidyut Soudha, Vijayawada, which was undemocratically resisted by the police,” it added.

It said that despite all this, the utility management was silent and “instead of intervening to resolve the issue, the AP government started threatening the leaders and activists of APSPE JAC. The powermen of AP have no other alternative to resort to strike in this situation”.

The entire workforce of 37,000 regular employees, 23,500 contractual workers, 4,500 piece rated meter readers and 37,000 pensioners will be on strike and in the street from August 10 morning, read the statement.

In solidarity, NCCOEEE constituents are observing a nationwide anti-privatisation day on August 9, with the slogan “Save Power Sector, Save India.”

It also demanded the withdrawal of “unlawful victimisation of valiant UP power employees who resorted to the path of struggle between December 2022 and March, 2023”, said a NCCOEEE statement issued by its convenor Prasanta M Chowdhury.