Over 22,000 power employees in J&K to strike work today

Srinagar, Feb 11: Over 22,000 power employees across Jammu and Kashmir will join a one-day nationwide strike on Thursday, aligning with nearly 27 lakh (2.7 million) electricity employees and engineers across the country protesting against privatisation and proposed reforms in the power sector.

The strike call has been given by the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) against power sector privatisation, the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025, the draft National Electricity Policy 2026, and for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for power sector employees.

Vice Chairman of AIPEF, Er Pirzada Hidayatullah, said that more than 22,000 power employees in J&K would participate in the joint national protest. “The strike is part of a coordinated action across India, where around 27 lakh power employees and engineers will observe a one-day work stoppage on February 12,” he said.

AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey, addressing the media in New Delhi and Lucknow, stated that the protest is aimed at opposing what he described as the “aggressive push towards privatisation” in generation, transmission, and distribution, including through the Tariff-Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB) route.

For the first time, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha and ten Central Trade Unions have extended support to the strike, joining in solidarity with power employees. Federation leaders claimed that the participation of engineers, workers, and farmers could make the February 12 action one of the largest industrial mobilisations in independent India.

Among the key demands raised by AIPEF are the withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2025 and the proposed National Electricity Policy 2026. The federation has also sought an immediate halt to large-scale outsourcing in the power sector, arguing that regular and perennial work is increasingly being handed over to private contractors.

The federation has demanded that vacant posts be filled through direct recruitment and that outsourced workers be regularised. It has also reiterated its call for the restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for power sector employees.

AIPEF leaders contend that privatisation of distribution, generation, and transmission could adversely impact poor consumers, small and medium industries, and the general public by potentially leading to higher tariffs and reduced accountability.

Power employees in J&K are expected to hold demonstrations at various district headquarters as part of the strike, while essential services may be maintained in certain areas to avoid.