Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) congratulates the employees and engineering staffs of the Department of Electricity in Puducherry Union Territory who are on indefinite strike from 28th September onwards to resist the Central government’s recent move to privatize the distribution and retail sale of electricity in the Union Territory Region. The strike has been spearheaded by the Joint Action Committee of the Employees and Engineers of Department of Electricity of Puducherry consisting of all Trade Unions.
The Central Government has been trying to privatize all its utilities since long- especially in the Union Territory Regions of the Country. Accordingly, the Central Home Ministry tried its first attempt to privatize electricity distribution utility in Jammu and Kashmir where it got a great beating from united movements of electricity employees and engineers. In the same vein Home Ministry again announced its plan to hand over the Electricity Department of Chandigarh Administration to the private corporate. Here people from all walks of life joined with Union Territory Electricity Employees’ and Engineers’ struggles against such anti-people privatization move and ultimately it was put on hold.
Without paying any heed to such militant popular resistances that was raged against this anti-people policy of privatization, on 27th September, 2022, the Puducherry Union Territory administration, at the instances of Central Home Minister, announced its plan to sell 100% share of its company responsible for distribution and retail supply of electricity to the private by inviting tender. Against this anti-people privatization move, the entire electricity employees and engineering staffs of Puducherry are on indefinite strike and still it is successfully continuing. People in general and all opposition parties are coming in the streets in support of this ongoing struggle to save public electricity service in Puducherry.
CITU, while expressing its unflinching solidarity to the struggling Puducherry Electricity Employees and Workers, calls upon the working class in general and all its affiliates in particular to stand in firm and to extend support to them who are fighting heroically.
CITU urges the Central Government as well as the Government of Puducherry Union Territory to stop the privatization of Electricity Company forthwith.
Issued By
Tapan Sen
General Secretary
