Electricity workers observe Safety Day

LAHORE:Hundreds of Electricity/Wapda workers carrying banners in support of their demands held a protest rally on the eve of Safety Day at Nisbet Road on Thursday.

The Safety Day was observed all over the country on Thursday to highlight the issues of Electricity/Wapda workers. The Safety Day was observed under the aegis of All-Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA for the safety of field staff working on electricity lines, grid stations and power houses. Recently, two linemen died of electrocution on Faisalabad Road sub division and Phool Nagar sub division while two members of the line staff were burnt in Sukkur and Larkana while working on 11KV line while some of the employees had become victim of coronavirus in Rawalpindi and other places.

They demanded from the Prime Minister of Pakistan and the policy makers not to privatise national electricity’s profitable distribution companies at the behest of IMF. The privatisation of Karachi Electric Supply Company had miserably failed which was acknowledged by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Federal Minister Planning, they said.

The workers also demanded increase in wages in private industries, banks and media commensurate with price hike which had not been raised since July 2020. The workers demanded that order of the accepted demands of DISCOs employees by the Federal Minister Energy for raising 25% allowance in a bilateral meeting held with the union on February 17, 2021 be implemented w.e.f 1st March, 2021 as agreed.