UP Govt bid to revive talks with power unions

UP Govt bid to revive talks with power unions
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

LUCKNOW, JANUARY 23: The striking powermen in Uttar Pradesh and the state government on Sunday launched efforts to revive their talks which broke down on Friday on the issue of restructuring the State Electricity Board as the indefinite stir entered the ninth day today.

Even as government maintained a tough posture by terminating the services of 2,000 powermen, arresting 6,833 of them and setting in motion the recruitment of new hands, both the powermen's union leaders and Energy Minister Naresh Agarwal said they had received feelers from each other for fresh negotiations stalled since Friday.

Agarwal told newsmen here that government officials would meet the powermen union leaders to try and find a common ground, which failed to emerge during three rounds of talks already held between the two sides, before talks resumed. The talks had collapsed as the government refused to withdraw the notification trifurcating the UPSEB while the strikers insisting that the notification be deferred for at least ayear.

Agarwal said the government had received feelers from the striking staff to resume talks. "Talks are being held at various levels to find out a mutual solution," he said.