The meeting was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, March 29, to end the deadlock
Nagpur: The State Energy Minister Nitin Raut, miffed over workers of power companies not responding to his appeal to withdraw their strike, called off a meeting with the workers’ representatives. The meeting was scheduled to be held on Tuesday, March 29, according to media reports.
The two-day strike by 85,000 workers of power companies had started across the state on March 28. The striking unions in the power sector had hardened their stance leading to breakdown of talks.
The Energy Minister had warned that the State Government would strictly enforce Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA). The agitating workers are asking for written assurance from the State Government that it would not privatise the power sector. However, the Energy Minister was of the view that the unions should have responded positively to his appeal and called off the strike while talks about their demands could carry on.
Reports said that to resolve the issue, Raut had kept a meeting at Mumbai on Tuesday and invited leaders of Joint Action Committee, representing 39 unions across distribution, generation and transmission and contractual workers, for talks about their demands. A release issued by the Joint Action Committee said the State Government should give it in writing and they would call off the strike. The Minister said that since he has already ruled out privatisation in the State power sector the unions should have responded and called off the strike as a goodwill gesture. He said the current period is very crucial as standing crops are in farms and any power cuts may jeopardise farmers’ hard work.
Due to rising mercury the demand for power is spiralling and any disruption would hit the citizens hard. And last but not the least the exams of HSC and SSC are going on and the student community might suffer due to power cuts as employees are abstaining from duty. The leaders of MSEB Workers Federation said they had already told the Minister that the demands of employees are genuine and a written assurance is a must as a precursor to calling off the strike. The employees unions are insisting that even if the Central Government passes the Electricity Amendment Act, the State Government would not privatise the services of the power sector.
