HYDERABAD, Jan 17: Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union here on Wednesday observed protest day against the Presidential Ordinance 2000 (removal from service) and Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002, rampant unemployment, price hike, lawlessness and privatisation of Lakhra, Jamshoro and other power houses in the country.
A large number of Hesco employees, under the banner of CBA union, took out a rally from labour hall Gari Khata, which terminated at the press club. Addressing the rally, the central president of CBA union, Abdul Latif Nizamani, said that the entire country was in the grip of lawlessness as a result of which, no body's life, property and honour was safe.
He said, inordinate increase in the prices of essential items such as pulses, ghee, sugar, wheat flour, kerosene oil and petrol had made the lives of poor people and workers miserable. He said poor people were committing suicides by the dozens.
He said the privatisation of profitable power houses of the country including, Jamshoro and Lakhra, will be resisted. He said it was a real irony that on the one hand, women empowerment bill had been approved by the parliament but on the other, no body was paying any heed to the problems of the working class. He condemned forced retirement of 1900 employees of Habib Bank and demanded that the Presidential Ordinance 2000 and IRO 2002 should be repealed and the salaries of the workers should be increased commensurate with the increase in the prices of essential consumer goods.
The others, who spoke on the occasion, included Iqbal Kaimkhani, Mir Khan Baloch, Malik Sultan and others.
Meanwhile, the Hydro Union workers also staged a protest demonstration at the gate of the Jamshoro power house against its privatisation.
Speaking on the occasion, regional chairman, Mohammad Sajan Panhwar said that the present government wanted to privatise profitable power houses under World Bank and IMF pressure. He said due to privatisation the workers will be rendered jobless.
He demanded of the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and chairman Wapda to withdraw privatisation plan of Jamshoro, Lakhra and other power houses. The others, who spoke on the occasion included Hanif Ansari, Bashir Chandio, Safdar Arain, Ghulam Asghar Lashari and others.
NAUSHAHRO FEROZE: A large number of Hesco employees took out a rally and staged a demonstration in Moro. They were led by divisional president Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union, Liaquat Ali Arain and secretary Abdul Ghaffar Memon. The rally marched on different roads of the town.
The leaders said that Presidential Ordinance 2000 and Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 were anti-worker which should be withdrawn. They also demanded increase in salaries and TA/DA of the employees. Hesco employees also took out rally in Naushahro Feroze for acceptance of their demands.
NAWABSHAH: Members of Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union took out a rally and staged demonstration outside press club. The rally started from power house Manuabad and ended outside local press club. They were led by divisional chairman Fazal Mohammad Shaikh and others.
Fazal Mohammad Shaikh, Ali Asghar Khaskheli, Mohammad Aslam Khanzada, Nizamdin Malik, Inam Qureshi and others spoke on the occasion.
JACOBABAD: Hesco employees took out a procession which started from Wapda office, Jacobabad. Marching on different roads of the city, they converged outside the press club where they staged a sit-in and raised slogans in favour of their demands.
A rally was also taken out from Guddu Thermal Station. The procession started from residential colony after marching through various roads of city reached at main gate of power house Kashmore where they staged a sit-in for an hour
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