Nationwide Strike on July 9 as Power Employees Oppose UP Discom Privatisation
Nearly 27 lakh power sector employees, under the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) banner, will stage a one-day strike on July 9, 2025, to protest the privatisation of Uttar Pradesh’s Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PVVNL) and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (DVVNL)—which serve 42 of the state’s 75 districts economictimes.indiatimes.com+9m.economictimes.com+9economictimes.indiatimes.com+9.
⚠️ Accusations of Undervaluing Assets and Collusion
Union leaders, including Shailendra Dubey (AIPEF), claim the discoms may be sold at throwaway prices, depriving farmers and low-income households of subsidies. They allege collusion between UP Power Corporation Ltd and private firms hindustantimes.com+4m.economictimes.com+4economictimes.indiatimes.com+4.
🔋 Strike to Begin with July 2 Rallies
Preliminary warning demonstrations occurred on July 2 across major cities. The full token strike on July 9 will involve power employees, junior engineers, and engineers from Hyderabad to Jammu economictimes.indiatimes.com+6m.economictimes.com+6economictimes.indiatimes.com+6.
🌍 Pan-India Workforce Unity
The strike will span numerous cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Patna, Raipur, and Dehradun, highlighting the movement’s wide national footprint economictimes.indiatimes.com+2m.economictimes.com+2moneycontrol.com+2.
⚡️ Warning of Power Supply Disruptions
Union leaders have warned that the strike “could disrupt power supply” nationally. They caution they “will not be responsible” for any outages that occur during the strike economictimes.indiatimes.com+4m.economictimes.com+4economictimes.indiatimes.com+4.
💡 Demands: Rollback & Dialogue
The unions demand a rollback of the privatisation plan and urge both state and central governments to consult employees before making sweeping reforms. Additional demands include wage revision, pension restoration, and regularisation of contract staff tribuneindia.com+3indianexpress.com+3m.economictimes.com+3.
🕊️ Potential Expansion to Jail Bharo Andolan
In Uttar Pradesh, employees have threatened a ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ (court arrest agitation) if tenders are floated locally, with allied groups including farmers, rail workers, and civil servants pledging solidarity
