About 45,000 electricity employees across Telangana are boycotting duties on Monday, August 8, against the Union government’s move to enact the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 in the Parliament, said a statement issued by Ratnakar Rao, President of Telangana State Power Engineers Association and Convenor of the Telangana Electricity Employees Joint Action Committee (TEEJAC). The call for protest was given by TEEJAC, which comprises 25 unions.
The statement said that employees will protest outside corporate and circle offices, power generation stations and divisional offices. In Hyderabad, all employees will gather at Vidyut Soudha to stage a protest against the new law. Employees say that only those working in the current shift will finish their work and once their shift ends, nobody will replace them for upcoming shifts.
This boycott may not directly affect the power supply in Hyderabad, but in case there are incidents like a trip, the workers may not be present to attend to repairs. Further decision about extension of protest will be taken based on the proceedings in Parliament on Monday, the statement added.
The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 will allow private players to enter the electricity distribution sector. This will enable consumers to choose from multiple service providers, just like the telecom sector. The protesting employees have said that this Bill may put their jobs in danger as consumers may opt for private electricity networks. The electricity employees’ association has also said that the Bill was drafted without any discussions with stakeholders.
In June 2022, the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said that its members would go on strike if the Bill was passed. A statement issued by AIPEF said that any action taken without considering electricity employees and engineers across the country will be “strongly opposed” and “27 lakh employees and engineers of the country will be forced to resort to nationwide strike.”