CSEB employees’ strike illegal: Govt

     Raipur, August 9, 2009: Immediately after Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh threatened strong action against the agitating employees of the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board, the state government has declared their stir as illegal.

      The State Labour Department through an order has declared the proposed agitation from August 11 next as illegal.

     Under the Section 80 of the Chhattisgarh Industrial Relations Act 1960, the proposed strike of the CSEB has been declared illegal and the matter had been referred to the Industrial tribunal, the state government said.

     The Labour Department order came after the Chief Minister had appealed to the employees, who are on strike against the unbundling of the CSEB into five companies, to withdraw their stir of August 11.

     Production of power and its supply have been coming under the essential services and to maintain these services the employees should stay away from any kind of agitations. And if that was not happening the State government would take stern action against the agitating employees, Singh had threatened.

     After evaluating all aspects, the unbundling of the CSEB was done on January 1, last as per the Central Electricity Act 2003. All steps have also been taken to protect the interest of the employees after the formation of five companies, he said and had appealed to the agitating employees to withdraw their proposed August 11 stir.