Electricity workers stage rally for regular jobs

LAHORE: Electricity workers observed Demand Day under All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA all over the country for bringing the contract workers on a permanent basis.

A meeting in this regard was held at Lesco Headquarters Queens Road. It was participated by hundreds of employees of grid, line, ministerial and accounts staff of Lesco. It was chaired by veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed, general-secretary of the union. The workers were carrying national flags and banners in support of their demands.

On the occasion, Khurshid Ahmed urged the Federal Minister Energy and Management of Distribution Companies to make contract employees working for years satisfactorily permanent in accordance with an agreement reached between the union and the management earlier.

He urged the federal and provincial governments that it is a basic right of the workers employed in the government and semi-government and private sector including the media be regularised in accordance with labour laws. He said the Apex Court has also ruled that all contract employees performing duties of permanent nature be regularised from the date they have service.

He demanded the governments and electricity management ensure safe working condition for the electricity field workers The rally was also addressed by Haji Muhammad Younas, Rana Abdul Shakoor, Muzaffar Mateen, Sarfraz Hundal, Wali-ur-Rehman, Haji Lateef, Ch Maqsood Ahmed and other representatives of the union.

The house by a resolution urged to the government to allocate more resources to build hydel power stations and dams to meet basic needs of cheaper electricity and water for industry, agriculture, trade and people. It added Pakistan had capacity for hydel generation more than one hundred thousand megawatt whereas it is being produced only six thousand megawatt costing Rs 2 per unit in comparison with Rs 14 per unit by private power station.

By another resolution, the house urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to disqualify those Senate members who allegedly spent their resources illegally to obtain vote. It demanded all political parties adopt national action economic and social plan for elimination poverty and unemployment, irrational gap between the rich and the poor and rid the nation of heavy foreign debts by taxing monopolists, capitalists and feudal lords and major traders.

LWMC: The strike held by LWMC sanitary workers came to an end after successful negotiations with the company management. A meeting was held at the Lahore Waste Management Company’s (LWMC) head office. Managing Director Bilal Mustafa Syed chaired the meeting. Negotiation committee members GM Operation Asif Iqbal, GM HR&Admin Farrukh Butt, GM Planning Nusrat Gill, Senior Manager Operations Sohail Malik and Manager Operation Murtaza Chaudhry also attended the meeting.

Bilal Mustafa said LWMC was providing health facility, Sunday and Easter incentives to its workers. Haj package for two Muslim workers every year was also approved in the meeting. He asked the workers to work as a team to achieve the mission of the company.

Union leaders have showed satisfaction over the negotiations. assumes office: Ashraf Lanjar, chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), assumed his office on Tuesday.

He was welcomed by the board secretary, Muhammad Tariq, staff officer Zafar Iqbal and PRO for ETPB Amir Hussain Hashmi. The chairman said he would use maximum resources for the welfare of minorities. He will take some positive steps for the welfare of the employees, he added.