Power supply in state likely to be affected as employees go on 3-day strike

An order issued by Mahadiscom stated that the company has invoked Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and those who violate it by going on strike will have to face disciplinary action

MUMBAI: As many as seven employee unions of all three government-run power companies of Maharashtra are going on a three-day strike beginning Thursday midnight. This may impact supply in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs and elsewhere in the state where the companies provide electricity.

Power supply in state likely to be affected as employees go on 3-day strike

The unions are opposing restructuring of departments, parallel licensing to private companies and tariff-based competitive bidding, which they say will hasten privatisation of the sector.

The unions going on strike are: Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation, Maharashtra Electricity Workers’ Mahasangh, Subordinate Engineers Association, Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Congress, Maharashtra State Backward Electricity Workers Sangathana, Maharashtra State Swabhimani Electricity Workers Union and Technical Workers Union. Together they cover all the major unions of the power companies.

Santosh Khumkar, general secretary, Subordinate Engineer Association, said, “Attempts are on to issue parallel licenses to private players threatening the very existence of Mahadiscom, the company responsible for power distribution in the eastern suburbs and rest of Maharashtra. It is happening despite assurance from chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in January 2023 (when he was deputy CM) that there won’t be any privatisation of the power companies.”

“Opposing the decisions, we have decided to go on a 72-hour strike starting Thursday midnight,” stated a joint statement issued by the JAC on October 3.

Meanwhile, a senior official from Mahadiscom said that a back-up plan is in place. “We have ensured that power supply will not be affected anywhere in the state,” he said. An order issued by Mahadiscom stated that the company has invoked Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) and those who violate it by going on strike will have to face disciplinary action. “The contracts of the employees who operate on contractual basis will cease to exist if they choose to join the strike while permanent employees will face disciplinary action,” it stated.