Wapda employees in Peshawar stage sit-in

PESHAWAR: All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Monday staged a protest sit-in at the Pesco headquarters against delay in recruitments, political intervention, and non-payment of bonus. The protest sit-in was led by provincial chairman of the union, Haji Muhammad Iqbal, secretary Norul Amin Haiderzai and other office-bearers.

The speakers on the occasion said that the provincial assembly through a resolution and the Energy and Power Department through clear directives had asked Pesco to make recruitment of required staff at the earliest. But no staff could be recruited so far. Owing to the lack of field staff, sharp increase in fatal incidents has been reported.

They said that due to increase in the number of consumers and length of line, the number of employees have fallen extremely short at both Pesco and Tesco. Majority of the complaint offices have been closed down.

They stressed that the vacant positions should be immediately filled and political intervention in the affairs of Wapda should be stopped. They also demanded a 200 percent increase in the salaries and pensions of the Wapda employees in the upcoming budget. They said that the protest sit-in would continue till the acceptance of their demands. If the government failed to accept their demands, they would stage a protest demonstration outside Banigala in Islamabad.