Thousands of electricity
workers held a protest rally under the aegis of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA before LESCO headquarter Queens Road Lahore urging the Prime Minister of Pakistan to allocate adequate resources for construction of new water dams and hydel and gas fired thermal power stations in the public sector to provide cheap electricity and ensure the rising basic need of water to common citizens.It was pointed out by the hundreds of the participants
The workers were carrying
the national flags and red banners in support of their demands raising slogans
long live Pakistan and unity of the working class symbolizing the unity and
struggle of the working class. That the Pakistan has capacity of generation of
one hundred thousand of megawatts hydel electricity while it is being produced
seven thousand megawatts only. The participants also demanded to the Government
that national public electricity may be entirely control placed under either
the Pakistan Electric Supply Company (PEPCO) or WAPDA instead of private
members of B.O.D who had no investment of even single rupee. The participants
had demanded for acceptance of their just demands.
They also urged to the PRIME
MINISTER to refrain from establishing
new Power Companies in the Public interest since it would impose heavy cost of
administration and provide Security to
the Elecy. Field Staff against lawless element during the performance of
Prevention of theft of Elecy. and recovery of Revenue. Since, not a Single accused
of theft of Elecy. had been punished so far.
The participants were addressed by
veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed General Secretary along with Haji Muhammad Younas,
Wali-ur-Rehman Khan (Gujranwala), Sarfraz Hundal (Faisalabad, Rana Abdul
Shakoor, Muzafar Mateen, Rana Muhammad Akram, Haji Latif, Nosher Khan, Iftikhar
Khan, Naveed Dogar and other representatives of the union. At this occasion the
participants also demanded to the Government to lift the ban on the recruitment
in electricity to get filled up of the vacant posts of the field staff and take
measures to get ensured safe working conditions to the line and technical staff
for prevention of their accidents at work place.
By another resolution they
urged to the Government to get provided the line, ministerial, store, grid, and
computer staff against the prescribed yardstick and order the promotion of line
superintendent, SSO and Revenue and Ministerial Staff Poly Technique diploma
holders and other staff at the earliest.
The workers urged the Government to
take special measures to raise productivity and provide better service to
electricity consumers instead of imposing threat of proposed privatization and
not to hand over the national assets worth trillion of rupees to self seekers
elements against the national interest and warned the government that it would
be resisted with full force by the workers. They also demanded to the Federal
Government that the complaint of over billing may be redressed by adopting
scientific and technical measures instead of proposed criminal punishment upon
the Meter Reader. It was urged to merge Mobile Reading Allowance of the Meter
Reader in their pay and their pay may be enhanced.
Media release from WAPDA
Osama Tariq
Additional Secretary
All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA
Bukhtiar Labour Hall, 28 Nisbet Road, Lahore.
Media Contact
0333-4276811
