Joint Meeting of Energy Sector Workers’ Federations
Sudip Dutta
ON July 27, representatives from three major energy sector workers’ federations met in Thiruvananthapuram and initiated a process of coordinated actions across the electricity, coal and petroleum sectors.
The meeting, attended by leaders from the Electricity Employees' Federation of India (EEFI), All India Coal Workers' Federation (AICWF), and Petroleum & Gas Workers' Federation of India (PGWFI), discussed in detail the scope and challenges of organising the workers of the energy sectors to protect the energy security and sovereignty of our country, as well as the rights and welfare of energy sector workers nationwide.
The perspective of the meeting, as laid out by the background, was to “develop collective courage and conviction about the important role of the energy sector trade union movement in the fight against the neoliberal onslaught of privatisation and the attack on trade union rights.”
But this united action cannot be realized, or even properly conceived, without assessing and understanding the practical scope of this work, the current material basis for it, the interconnected and overlapping areas of operation, and the commonality of issues across the three industries.
A. The link and interconnections between the industries across value chains – from raw material to end services and products:
organising workers across the value chain of the industries is one of the most important and challenging tasks before the global working-class movement. It is the only weapon capable of creating an actual and effective blockade against capital. Within the energy sector, the value-chain relationship is especially prominent. Even today, electricity generation in India is largely dependent on coal and petroleum & gas. Conversely, coal and petroleum products cannot be produced without the aid of electricity.
India’s coal-fired installations total around 214,700 MW, accounting for nearly 44 per cent of the total installed capacity and roughly 73 per cent of thermal generation. As of 2024, India has approximately 205 coal-based thermal power plants across the central, state, and private sectors.
In addition, the country has a significant number of petroleum- and gas-based power plants, contributing more than 24,000 MW to the total capacity. India operates at least 62 gas-based thermal stations and 19 major grid-connected diesel power plants.
Thus, in the value chain, coal and petroleum serve as the most critical raw materials for more than 75 per cent of today’s power generation. For example, the 4,760 MW Vindhyachal NTPC plant in Madhya Pradesh sources its primary coal from the Chhatrasal block of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. The 2,980 MW Sipat plant in Chhattisgarh receives coal from the Talaipalli and Korba mines of South Eastern Coalfields Ltd, while the 3,000 MW Talcher plant is supplied by the Talcher mines of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd. Similarly, the 645 MW Kawas Gas Power Station in Gujarat receives gas from ONGC’s South Gujarat gas fields, and the 817 MW Dadri Gas Power Station in Uttar Pradesh gets gas through ONGC and GAIL pipelines.
In practical terms, thermal power plants are dependent on specific fossil fuel sources. Therefore, the workers and their unions in fossil fuel source companies can play a crucial role in facilitating union formation and coordinated action within power plants as well. This opens up possibilities for intervention across the entire product value chain – from mines and wells through washeries and refineries up to the power plants.
B. Diversification of Major Energy PSUs into Each Other’s Domains:
The second important aspect is the diversification of energy PSUs into other energy domains.
For instance, the Coal India Limited (CIL) is investing around Rs 25,000 crore in the solar (3 GW by 2025–26), wind, pump storage projects via joint ventures (JV) in Rajasthan, additional Rs 25,000 crore in Coal-to-SNG JV with GAIL; investing in Coal-to-AN JV with BHEL; 660 MW and 1,600 MW pithead power plants; investing in critical minerals - graphite block acquisition, lithium/cobalt exploration and many new fields.
IOCL is planning to develop 35GW RE by 2030. Already 7 KTPA green hydrogen is in production at Panipat, Haryana. Heavy investment is in process for EV Charging and Battery Storage projects. ONGC has acquired Ayana and PTC Energy aiming at 10GW RE production. 250 MW Battery storage in Assam along with pump storage projects are in planning. 1 MW Geo-Thermal and Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Nuclear pilot projects are underway. By 2038, ONGC is going to invest Rs 2 lakh crore in renewable energy.
NTPC has planned to invest Rs 5 trillion for developing 60 GW renewable energy by 2030. 2.8 GW Mahi Banswara project is underway with SMR technology - 30 GW nuclear target to be achieved by 2047. 10 GW PSP and Battery storage construction is in different stages of planning and execution.
BPCL is diversifying in wind and solar plants, green hydrogen. Already 3100+ EV charging stations have been installed. Similarly, HPCL has planned to build 10 GW RE by 2030 by investing Rs. 50,000 crores. Already 5376 EV charging outlets have been installed. OIL is investing in renewable energy and green hydrogen.
The above examples of diversification projects of major energy CPSUs reveals that, many energy PSUs are diverting in renewable and EV charging sector. However, planned initiative and work within the diversifying segments of energy PSUs can pave a path for the organizational entry India’s trade union movement to this sector. Many non-Power PSUs are going for thermal power plants. Focused work with robust organizational presence in those PSUs can help to form unions in those power plants.
Most importantly, some energy PSUs are entering into critical mineral mining areas, which will be the core of energy sector in coming days. Still no trade union has entry to critical mineral mines. This aspect can be well utilised to expand our organisation in critical mining areas. Further, the informed engagement in the diversification process will help us to find an amicable solution in the process of energy transition also.
C. The geographical overlapping of areas of operations of these energy utilities: If we give a glance at the energy maps of our country, very interesting picture emerges. India is having 209 coal-based power plants and a huge number of them are in vicinity to the coal bearing areas. Certainly, if the coal workers take initiative, they can help to form unions in coal-based power plants within the coal bearing areas.
Similarly, 71 gas-based power plants are situated adjacent or very near to 23 refineries of India. So, if petroleum and gas workers take up the agenda, they can facilitate the formation of unions in nearby gas-based power plants. This geographical strategic advantage of energy sector industries should be utilised by the energy sector workers in a coherent and coordinated way.
D. Scope of organisational coordination, cooperation and solidarity: The state wise analysis of the federations gives us a significant picture. In states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh, while the EEFI is not very strong, the coal federation has a very strong organizational presence. On the other hand, in Odisha, the EEFI is comparatively stronger than other two Energy Federations. Petroleum federation is strong in Maharashtra where they can help nuclear Power plants’ unions in coordinated struggle.
One very neglected but promising area of Petroleum value chain is the Petrol pump and LPG Cylinder delivery workers. These workers are huge in numbers and spread across the country. They are mostly un-unionsed. The electricity distribution sector is obviously having the most widespread presence all over the country. If the electricity distribution sector workers help in organising, they can facilitate to build unions in petroleum and LPG distribution centres. If these three energy federations take up the agenda of strengthening other energy sector organisations, then we can have breakthroughs in many areas.
Privatisation, disinvestment, monetisation and restructuring of employment relations are taking place in various modes across these sectors.
But one most common and dangerous form of policy attack on these sectors is arising from the process of transition from fossil fuel to renewables. The net zero commitment of Government of India is going to impact the employees of energy sectors and the livelihood of the people directly or indirectly dependent upon these establishments. These common issues give us scope to build coordinated struggle on common generalised agendas.
The commonality of the issues affecting the energy sector workers working in the CPSUs will be used to prepare a common charter of energy sector workers for immediate struggle; the contract workers will be at the centre of struggle.
The first structured joint meeting of three energy sector federations discussed the perspective idea to expand their work beyond the regular and traditional areas. It will create class solidarity and class action among the energy sector workers.
