SNGPL staff protest devolution

Rawalpindi

The employees of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) have opposed the planned devolution of the gas companies to the provinces. To mark protest against the government plan, the employees wore black armbands besides displaying banners in the SNGPL offices which read ‘devolution of sui gas companies is unacceptable’.

Besides the employees, the high officials of the gas company are unhappy with the government plan regarding devolution of sui gas companies. Similarly, the representatives of Employees Union of SNGPL (CBA) have also opposed the plan which would be resisted till last. They said that they would not allow the devolution of gas companies and handing them over to the provinces.

The divisional secretary general (CBA) Mohammad Younus Awan, Nadeem Bokhari, Branch Secretary (CBA), Rawalpindi and Nadeem Hussain Shah expressing concern over the plan said SNGPL is a federal body and it should remain same instead of being divided. The SNGPL is generating huge revenue annually for the government which amounts to over Rs10 billion. As the company is not going on loss and earning profit, the plan to devolve it is totally unjust and unacceptable to us.

The CBA members appealed to the government to give a serious thought to proposals of employees, officials and the union of SNGPL and withdraw its plan in the best interest of the gas company.

The representatives believed that the devolution of SNGPL and other companies would have worse impact and employees would be affected and may also go jobless. Moreover, the charges of gas tariff would further rise making the consumers unable to pay their bills, they added.

Younus Awan and Nadeem Bokhari along with other representatives said that the entire staff of SNGPL was against the devolution process. If the government does not withdraw its plan to devolve SNGPL then we would have no other option but to boycott our office work and launch protest movement, the CBA members threatened.