As Uttar Pradesh faces growing uncertainty over the privatization of its power distribution companies, thousands of workers, including engineers, technicians, and junior engineers, are sounding the alarm over potential mass layoffs. The UP Bijli Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti (UPBKS), a prominent workers’ union, has expressed deep concerns that nearly 77,491 employees could lose their jobs if the privatization plan moves forward.
On the fourth consecutive day of protests, power employees across Uttar Pradesh wore black armbands and took to the streets, holding rallies in cities such as Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur, and Meerut. With no sign of the agitation easing, the union has warned of more intense protests unless their demands are addressed.
The privatization plan threatens to eliminate existing posts in two major power distribution companies: Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam, which together employ over 77,000 workers. Union leaders also allege that over 50,000 contractual employees have already been laid off, fueling the anger and fear among the workforce.
The Samiti drew parallels to past privatization cases in Delhi and Odisha, where employees were terminated through voluntary retirement schemes (VRS). They also pointed to incidents in Agra and Greater Noida, where privatization resulted in workers losing their jobs altogether. The inclusion of “early VRS” in the privatization proposal has only intensified concerns. According to Samiti convenor Shailendra Dubey, this could lead to the removal of workers with far fewer years of service.
As the protests continue, the future of the workers remains uncertain. They are determined to press on with their fight to protect their livelihoods and demand fairness in the proposed privatization process.
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