All regular and contractual employees of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Ltd (MeECL) will take part in an all-India protest on November 26, which has been called for by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Engineers and Employees (NCCOEEE) and All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), it was announced today.
The protest will be held against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020 and the standard bidding document circulated by the central government. The bill, the electricity workers fear, will lead to privatization of the energy industry.
“These exercises of the Centre are detrimental to the interests of the citizens of the country and hence all energy employees, various trade unions and farmers’ organizations have unanimously decided to protest against such a move,” a statement from the Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL (Employees) Associations and Unions (CCORMAU) said today.
At the same time the MeECL employees will also display their resentment towards the “discouraging and unproductive approach” adopted by management in matters relating to various internal issues, like delays salary disbursement, non-payment of medical reimbursement, arrears, overtime, transfer grants and issues related to terminal benefits to pensioners.
The MeECL employees will also be protesting the “unnecessary” loans taken out by the corporation.
The protesters will wear black badges and hold sit-in demonstrations and sloganeering during their lunch hour, besides displaying placards and banners in all offices and power stations in Meghalaya. The statement promised that there will be “no disruption to or dislocation of work,” with all works pertaining to consumers continuing normally.
