ELECTRICITY EMPLOYEES FEDERATION OF INDIA

                         B.T. RANADIVE BHAWAN, 13-A, ROUSE AVENUE, NEW DELHI – 2

TELEFAX: 23219670 E-mail: eefederation@gmail.com URL: www.eefi.org

CircularNo.32/10              Date: 03-12-2010

To

All Affiliated / Associated organisations

An  extended Meeting of the office bearers of EEFI took place on 28-29 November, 2010 at BTR Bhawan, New Delhi discussed the following items and resolved to implement following programs / activities:

1.            Minutes of the Office Bearers Meeting took place on 18^th July, 2010 at Delhi was confirmed.

2.            The All India Strike of 7^th September, 2010 was reviewed and it was observed that EEFI constituents supported the strike in general. Only a few states like Tamilnadu, Punjab, Haryana, Kerala and West Bengal by and large took part in the strike.

3.            Government of India did not pay any heed to issues of the strike. Central Trade Unions have jointly decided March to Parliament on 23^rd February, 2011 to put press for the five points demands  EEFI will support and take part in the Parliament March with a strength of 12,000 electricity workers. Statewise break-up of participation will be as under –

Punjab 5000, Haryana 5000, UP 500, Tamilnadu-600, Rajasthan- 150, WBSEWMU –50, PBSKMU-30  NTPC-25, Powergrid-5 CESWMU-10, DVC-10, DPL-5, Bihar-5, Jharkhand-5 Orissa-5, Chandigarh-50, J&K-5 Assam –8, Pondichery-2, Kerala 60 (50+10), Tripura-5

EEFI National Centre will arrange accommodation for 1,000 participants from far away states in Dharmashalas.

4.            A meeting of Working Committee will take place at BTR Bhawan on 23^rd February, 2011 at 2:30 pm. (after the rally). Formal notice will be sent shortly.

5.            Hindi TU Classes will be organised in Haryana (Faridabad) on 24^th and 25^th February, 2011. Classes will be concluded before lunch on 25^th February, 2011. Participants may book their return journey accordingly.

There will be three sessions as under –

Allocated number of participants of Hindi conversant states / organisations will be as under :

Punjab 10, Haryana 10, Rajasthan- 6 UP-2 , West Bengal –12, Sahayak-8 , NTPC-4, Powergrid-2 CESWMU-4, DVC-2, DPL-2, Bihar-2, Jharkhand-2 Orissa-2, Chandigarh-5, J&K-2 Assam –4, Tripura-2, HP-2

Leaders of Participating Unions are requested to contact EEFI Centre / Com Subhas Lamba (09811329365) / Com Devender Hooda (09416800096) to inform total Nos of Participants indicating Nos. of Males and Females and arrival / departure schedule. Venue will be informed shortly.

6.     It has been observed that since two decades of capitalist globalisation, casualisation, contractualisation and outsourcing has been practiced in electricity industry. These categories of workers are being exploited to the extent possible. In some states major portion of regular job has been contracualised. Normal function of electricity industry in those states will be standstill if these categories of workers withdraw their hands / resort to strike action. Hence the role of these workers has become strategic for the industry as well working class movement in the electricity industry.

         In continuation of our discussion to consolidate electricity workers                   rendering              service in the industry as casual / contractual / under contractors this meeting was convened. All the CITU State Committees were requested to send their representatives, who are looking after organisation of contractor workers in this meeting. Excepting Himachal Pradesh and Bihar response has not been received. However, condition of these category of workers were discussed. It was noted that considerable achievement has been made in Tamilnadu and AP towards regularization of contractors’ workers. In KSEB, serious fight was fought in legal and mass movement. Their struggle for higher rate of wages has become successful. In West Bengal, majority of the contractor’s workers have been organised. Strength of the union membership is presently 18,000. They have also achieved some of the demands.

It has been decided that another meeting of the contractor workers will be convened by the earliest possible time to prepare a national convention of contractor workers in electricity industry. Venue of the convention will be at Delhi / adjacent state and date will be finalized in consultation with the respective leadership. Reports from Kerala, AP has been sent by the respective union. All other unions are to send a report for preparation of base paper of the above meeting. The report should contain following items:

(a) Total number of regular workers in the Company / Board, (b) Total number of casual / contractual / contractors’ workers, (c) Nature of jobs undertaken by the workers in item ‘b’, (d) Whether any Union of the workers’ in item ‘b’ exists, (e) How many of the workers have been enrolled in the Union/s, (f) Affiliation of the Union, if any (g) Wage structures / system of the workers, (h) Whether benefit of PF / ESI / Gratuity / WC Act is granted to the workers, (i) Copy of last Charter of Demands (English / Hindi), (j) Short history of last struggle / movement / strike launched by the union/s.

          UNIONS OF THOSE INDUSTRIES WHERE THERE ARE NO SUCH WORKERSHOULD    

          ALSO SEND A REPORT INDICATING NON-EXISTENCE OF CONTRACT SYSTEM.

INFORMATION/S OF THE INDUSTRIES WHERE WE DON’T HAVE UNION MAY ALSO BE GATHERED AND SENT TO EEFI CENTRE.

7.            An initiative towards revitalization of joint movement of electricity workers has been taken up. A meeting was held between EEFI leaders and Com A B Bardhan and AIFEE leaders. It has been decided that central issues of power policy, resources and condition of workers in the industry will be taken up as main agenda of discussion. On finalisation of issues among EEFI and AIFEE other organisations of Workers Engineers and officers will also be invited for a joint meeting and deciding the course of actions.

8.            World Federation of Trade Unions will hold its next conference at Athens (Greece) between 6^th & 10^th April, 2011. CITU has allocated one delegate to EEFI. Com K O Habib, our President will take part in the Conference on our behalf. If he is not spared in view of forthcoming Assembly Election in Kerala, Comrade Subhas Lamba will represent EEFI.

                                                                                                                                                                                                           (Prasanta N Chowdhury)

                                                                                         General Secretary