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Thursday March 28, 2024

Electricity workers rally for safe conditions, special allowance

By Our Correspondent
May 12, 2020

LAHORE:Hundreds of workers of electricity distribution companies and Wapda observed a Protest Day on Monday.

They held meetings all over the country under the aegis of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA, demanding from the electricity management to ensure safe working conditions for line staff who meet with fatal accidents due to unsafe working conditions and serious shortage of staff. Three members of line staff had fatal accidents due to electrocution within two days in KPK, Lahore and Sukkur.

This Ramazan the workers did not get special allowance (one month pay) like previous years on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr. They demanded from the electricity and Wapda management to grant the workers special allowance as has been a practice. Electricity workers perform most hazardous nature of work. They provide electricity to more than 25 million consumers all over the country.

These meetings were held in various major cities including Lahore, Quetta, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Peshawar. Workers gathered in large number before the Lahore Press Club, carrying national flags in support of their demands.

Khurshid Ahmad, General Secretary of the Union, addressing the rally paid tributes to the national heroes who sacrificed their lives during performance of most hazardous nature of work, ensuring provision of electricity to people. He appealed to the workers to maintain unity in their ranks and file and observe safety regulations at workplaces.

He assured them that the union would continue to strive to raise living and working conditions of the workers. It has already got accepted demands of up-gradation of their pay scale, raising Danger Allowance, marriage grant to their children and other special allowance, bringing 9,500 workers on regular basis.

The rally was also addressed by Haji Muhammad Younas, Osama Tariq, Nosher Khan, Rana Shakoor, Muzaffar Mateen, Naveed Dogar, Ch. Muhammad Akram, Malik Zahoor and other representatives of the union. On this occasion, the house demanded of the federal and provincial governments to raise the wages of the workers by at least 30 percent, check price-hike of essential commodities and ensure safe working conditions to all industrial, commercial and media workers.