Labourers of Suki Kinari power project threaten protest

MANSEHRA: Hundreds of labourers working on the Suki Kinari Hydropower Project on Tuesday announced to stage protest today against the executing company for not honouring the agreement.

“The company had agreed not only to reinstate the 900 labourers who had gone into quarantine because of coronavirus but also to pay them their five-month withheld salaries. And now it was not deviating from its agreement,”

Tahir Hussain Shah, the president of labourers’ union, told reporters in Balakot. He said that the general body of the labourers union had decided to hold a peaceful protest today and they would block Mansehra-Naran-Jalkhad road to all sort of traffic for an in indefinite period if their demands were not met.

“We had also met assistant commissioner Balakot and handed him over the copy of the written agreement and sought his support to address the issue with the company but to no avail. And now we have decided to come onto the streets,” said Hussain Shah.

He said that they ended their three-week protests on June 2 after the company agreed and signed a memorandum of understanding that it would not only restore the employees sacked because of the Covid-19 but would also pay them their salaries.