ELECTRICITY employees and engineers of Jammu and Kashmir achieved a major victory after a valiant struggle through an indefinite strike call from December 17-18 midnight against the move to privatise the power sector that has been initiated through the formation of a joint venture company with J&K Power Transmission Corporation Limited (PTCL) and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL).

The national chapter of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) conveyed its warm greetings and salute to all electricity employees and engineers of Jammu and Kashmir on their victory. Since the beginning, electricity employees and engineers were under the Power Development Department of J&K. All of them were government employees. A few thousand casual employees were also in the roll of the government. It would have been appropriate that the government conceded to their demand for regularisation of services. Once the state was bifurcated into union territories, no one was there to keep the assurance. All government employees, irrespective of them being permanent or casual, were placed on deputation to the Power Corporation without changing the status of their employment. Now, for more centralisation, the central government’s power department planned to cover 33 KV networks of the country under PGCIL, a government company, under the National Monetisation Pipeline.

The J&K Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee (JKPEECC), the united platform of electricity employees and engineers in Jammu and Kashmir, could clearly understand the game plan of the government. Through this route, government employees of the Power Development Department of J&K will be moved to the joint venture company (JVC) and then to private hands along with transmission assets. The employees decided to fight it tooth and nail.

From December 18 evening, police raided houses of JKPEECC chairman Jaipal Sharma, convener Sachin Tikku and other leaders. As they were not found at their homes, police threatened their families with dire consequences such as their termination and arrest of their family members. The army was called in to man all major power installations. They could do nothing. The participation of employees in the strike was total and 95 per cent of line and substations became dead. A threat campaign on the part of the administration under the leadership of the lieutenant governor continued, but failed.

The national chapter of NCCOEEE discussed the situation in a meeting on December 19 and decided to extend solidarity to the striking workers. On December 20, over two million electricity employees organised demonstrations across the country in solidarity with the J&K electricity employees struggling against privatisation. NCCOEEE called for more unity for the victory in the long run.   

By the midnight of December 20-21, a settlement was signed, wherein the JVC plan has been abandoned along with clear mention that all proposals will be discussed in advance and settled amicably.