A section of electricity employees protested against the decision to appoint a franchise for electricity distribution in Ranchi as well as Jamshedpur and unbundling of the erstwhile JSEB on Tuesday. The unions, claiming majority of the board’s employees, alleged corruption behind the decisions and reiterated to go for a blackout from February 11 throughout the State.
“The protest was massive and we never expected that over 2,000 employees would converge at JSEB’s headquarter in protest against the decisions. This has been a grand success. There is huge resentment among the employees and also a sense of insecurity about their job and working conditions,” said MP Yadav, member of a union.
Claiming support of 95 per cent officers and workers, the protestors have issued a warning against the Jharkhand Power Holding Company to go on strike from February 11. The employees are charging the Company with violating provisions of Electricity Act-2003 and insufficient assurances made to them before going ahead with unbundling the JSEB.
The faction also blamed the erstwhile Board for misleading those who had signed agreement with it about transfer policy, service conditions, status of their services before getting the proposal passed from the Cabinet.
“We are apprehensive that after some time the employees would come on road as there is no clause that infuses assurance from the Government about our job security and working conditions. We have been employed by a company with no role of the State. Top officials of the board and the Government have cheated us for their own interest,” said PK Chaturvedi who was leading the protest. The protestors also sat on dharna at Secretariat to press for their demand to revisit the Cabinet decision and to unbundle the board into four separate companies.
The agitators were also up in arms against Energy Minister Rajendra Singh and said that he would be opposed in his constituency for his “anti-trade union” approach. “When he gave assurance about audit by the Chief Secretary before going ahead with franchise, how come he and the CS can defend the proposal well in advanceIJ It means they have decided to go ahead and audit is just a joke,” said Yadav. With their strike call, electricity supply throughout the State is set to be affected.