Electricity workers observe ‘Safety Day’

LAHORE: Electricity workers observed ‘Safety Day’ Tuesday all over the country under the aegis of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA and demanded the prime minister intervene and stop tragic accidents of the line staff one after another.

Two Linemen have died recently. Rana Muhammad Ahsan died on 20 May, 2023 by falling from pole in Dijkot. Another Lineman Abdul Rasheed at Tank Sub-Division, D.I Khan received electric shock and died on the spot.

Moreover, 66 linemen had met with such accidents and lost their lives before this and far more have become victims of non-fatal accidents in the year 2022. Electricity workers held a meeting at Bakhtiar Labour Hall here. General Secretary of the union, Khurshid Ahmad, appealed to the workers to observe safety regulations. He demanded the government provide electricity workers standard safety equipment like bucket fitted vehicles and standard training to both management and workers so that safety regulations are observed at work.

To prevent accidents, it is equally important by fill up vacant posts of line staff. More than 50 percent of the posts for line staff are lying vacant on account of not recruiting new hands for the last six years while old hands have been retiring and quantum of work has been rising.

The union secretary called upon the workers to refuse to work in unsafe working conditions. He demanded the government raise the wages and pension of the workers by at least 50 percent, commensurate with the price-hike.

Lesco General Manager (O&M) Tahir Mayo assured the workers of providing standard safety equipment and standard training facilities and while making effort to get permission from the federal government to fill up the serious shortage of staff at the earliest and urged them not to work under unsafe working conditions.

The meeting in a resolution paid tributes the sacrifices of line staff of DISCOs during their duties and sacrifices of army personnel for the defence of the nation.