Lucknow: The fourth biennial conference of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Tender/Contract Employees Union was held at the Gandhi Bhawan Auditorium in Kaiserbagh, Lucknow. The conference witnessed participation from office bearers and contract electricity workers from various districts across the state.
Addressing the gathering, State President Mohammad Khalid raised concerns over the working conditions of outsourced electricity employees. He alleged that the management of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation was engaging workers through outsourcing contracts but assigning them high-risk technical roles such as linemen and substation operators, which he termed unjust and unsafe.
State Vice President Harshvardhan highlighted the long-pending demand for a minimum monthly salary of ₹18,000, stating that despite repeated appeals over the years, the demand has not been fulfilled. He also alleged disparities in wage payments among workers.
State General Secretary Devendra Kumar Pandey claimed that nearly 25,000 outsourced electricity workers had been removed from service in violation of existing orders and had not been reinstated. He warned that if the affected employees are not taken back and if the move toward an Outsource Service Corporation continues, the union would launch a statewide agitation.
Echoing similar concerns, State Vice President Surendra Pandey criticized the “vertical system” introduced by the corporation, alleging that it has led to harassment of workers and created difficulties for electricity consumers.
The conference was also addressed by Chief Patron and former Union Minister of State Kaushal Kishore, who strongly condemned the reported layoffs and called for the reinstatement of affected employees. He stated that the vertical व्यवस्था was not only harmful to workers but was also causing inconvenience to the public. He further emphasized that the benefits of the state’s proposed Outsource Service Corporation should be extended to electricity workers as well.
Kishore added that he would write to the Chief Minister to highlight these issues and urged authorities to address the concerns promptly. Several other union leaders, including K. D. Mishra, Moti Singh, Bhanu Pratap Singh, Nakul Chaudhary, Arvind Srivastava, Arun Yadav, Ganesh Tomar, Abhinandan Sharma, and Ranveer Singh, also shared their views during the session.
The conference concluded with a collective call for fair wages, job security, and improved working conditions for outsourced electricity workers across the state.
