ISLAMABAD: All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA Monday started protest demonstration against the planned privatisation of some of the power Distribution Companies (Discos).
Hundreds of workers of Discos and hydroelectric entities across Pakistan reached here outside the National Press Club, and tried to march towards the Parliament.
The protest was also attended by the provincial chapters of the union i.e. Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, and the Punjab.
The protesters were also joined by contractual employees of Radio Pakistan, Pakistan Television Network, and pensioners also participated in the protest. Talking to media men, the protesters said that Water and Power Division Authority (WAPDA) was the second biggest national entity after Pakistan army.
They said various governments in the past also tried to privatise the WAPDA but unity of the workers did not allow them to do so.
They said that some of their workers were detained by the government in various parts of the Punjab, and the unions will also devise their future line of action in accordance with the leadership’s advice.
They warned the government if anti-employee polices are not stopped they would stop power supply across the country.
“We will not allow the government to privatise WAPDA at any cost,” they said and added that the Power Division has handed over the record of Discos to the Ministry of Privatisation, with the request to expedite the process of privatisation or to give management contract to the private sector.
They blamed the government for increasing the prices of all the essential daily use items, medicines, power, petrol, and gas.
They said that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government is forcing the masses to commit suicide.
They flayed the government for not including 140,000 workers associated with WAPDA and Discos in recently announced pay increase.
“We don’t know why the government was making all out efforts to dispose of profitable entities in the name of privatisation such as Guddu; Nandipur as these entities are serving the masses in the best manner,” the protestors argued.
They said that the privatisation of K-Electric (KE) like institutions has proved the failure of the power companies.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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