Uttar Pradesh Electricity Strike: Why UP electricity dept workers are protesting?

The Allahabad High Court on Friday taking serious note of the ongoing strike by the Uttar Pradesh electricity department employees despite a court order, began contempt proceedings against the union leaders and issued a warrant asking them to appear before it on Monday.

The electricity department employees went on a three-day strike from Thursday night and are demanding regularisation of pay anomalies and fulfilment of certain criteria of chairman selection process.

Hearing a PIL, a division bench comprising Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Vinod Diwaker directed that considering the urgency of the matter, bailable warrants are issued against the office bearers of the Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangarsh Samiti through its organiser Shailendra Dubey and several others by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow requiring their presence before the court at 10 am on March 20.

The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) issued notices to 18 office bearers of various organisations, including Shailendra Dubey, convenor of Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukta Sangharsh Samiti, asking them to call off the strike immediately, citing the court order.

The court also directed the state authorities concerned to ensure that appropriate action as may be permissible in law be taken against the erring officials/employees so as to ensure compliance with the previous orders passed by this court on December 6, 2022, directing that there will be no disruption of power supply in the state.

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Fixing March 20 as the next date, the court directed the state government to report compliance with the action taken in the matter by then.
"An affidavit of the Additional Chief Secretary of the Department concerned would be placed on record by then, the court added.

Passing the above directives, the court observed, "From what has been placed before us, a serious situation is shown to have arisen which requires immediate attention."

"Even if there is a substance in the demand raised by the workers, the entire state cannot be put under severe constraints by jeopardising overwhelming public interest. Such act of workers violates the direction of this court for not disrupting power supply.

"Even national interest is compromised on account of the reduction in the generation of power in different power-generating units of the state. Thus, prima facie, it is disobedience of this court's order dated December 6, 2022, the court observed.

Earlier, the government said if the strike creates problems for the public, it will take action against the protesting employees under the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) and threatened to sack contractual workers who do not return to work.

It also said action would be initiated under the National Security Act in case vandalism occurs during demonstrations.

(With PTI Inputs)