Workers protest against sell-off on 26th

LAHORE :Electricity / Wapda workers will observe protest day on March 26 (Thursday) all over the country against the proposed privatisation of national profitable public utilities of Guddu Thermal Power Station and Islamabad and Lahore Electric Supply Companies on the behest of IMF.

Price hike of essential commodities, rising unemployment, widening irrational gap between the rich and the poor and proposed measures to ban trade unions of electricity workers, a right available to them since 1926 under the aegis of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA, are also issues against which the workers protest.

The union demanded the government review the proposed decision of privatisation in the wider national interest since privatisation of thermal electricity generation (IPPs) had added 400 billion tax, raising the price of electricity.

The union demanded the government allocate more financial resources to Wapda to build new hydel power station and new water dams to provide cheaper electricity and water to people. These demands were raised in a resolution passed in a conference held at Bakhtiar Labour Hall here. Hundreds of trade union representatives and workers from all over the country attended the moot.

The inaugural session was addressed by veteran journalist and spokesperson for National Industrial Relations Commission of Pakistan IA Rehman and trade union leaders, including representatives of All Pakistan Workers Confederation.

The conference was presided over by Abdul Latif Nizamani, president of the union. On this occasion, special homage was paid to the services of the founder of trade union movement late Bashir Ahmad Bakhtiar.

The resolution demanded the government adopt national economic self-reliance policy, introduce reforms to tackle abject poverty and aggravating unemployment. It demanded electricity management regularise jobs of workers working on contract for many years.