Electricity workers to protest on 15th

LAHORE:Thousands of workers will hold mass protest procession at Islamabad on February 15 under the aegis of All-Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA against aggravating price-hike in essential commodities of daily use.

In the protest, they will demand from the government to raise the wages and pension of the workers commensurate with the price hike at the rate of 30% which had not been raised for more than one and half years. These demands were raised in a press conference held Thursday by Khurshid Ahmed General Secretary of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA along with the President Abdul Latif Nizamani, Haji Ramzan Achakzai, Javed Iqbal Baloch Regional Chairman, Tariq Niazi Vice Chairman Islamabad, Osama Tariq and Haji Iqbal Khan Chairman KPK.

They urged the Prime Minister to review the proposed privatisation of the public electricity distribution companies - Guddu and Nandipur Thermal Power House. Privatisation of Karachi Electric Supply Company and Rawalpindi and Multan Distribution Private Companies had failed miserably, and that’s the reason why Rawalpindi and Multan Private Companies were handed over to Wapda in 1980. They pointed out that the private independent thermal power houses were responsible for the rise in circular debt which would reach Rs.1.5 trillion next year.