HYDERABAD: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union staged rallies in several Sindh towns on Wednesday in protest against proposed privatisation of Wapda “under the dictates of International Monetary Fund” and closure of powerhouses.

The union’s central president Abdul Latif Nizamani said at a workers’ rally outside local press club that with 80,000 positions lying vacant in Wapda, the existing workers had to bear extra burden of workload and it often led to fatal incidents during work. Performance allowance be given to workers for this additional work, he said.

He that public sector powerhouses produced electricity at Rs4 per unit while the government was purchasing the same from private powerhouses at Rs72 per unit. Resultantly, the poor of the country were facing serious energy crisis, he said.

He said that the public sector powerhouses should be modernised and made operational to provide cheap electricity and help overcome loadshedding. The poor consumers, who suffered due to detection bills and loadshedding, blamed Wapda overworked employees, he regretted.

He demanded an end to plans for privatisation of Wapda under IMF dictates and said Wapda should be made a people-friendly entity. The government plan to privatise national enterprises would be tantamount to treachery with the country, he said.

He said the union was able to get performance allowance but it was denied on this Eidul Fitr. One bonus equivalent to a month’s salary be paid to workers before Eidul Azha, he said.

He said that medical allowance was not being paid, scales were being done away with and now son quota and seniority-based promotions were being withdrawn in the name of ‘pay package’. Lines and grid stations had been established but workers were made to perform duties without facilities, even salaries were not paid on time, he said.

He warned that if ongoing anti-worker policies were not stopped the workers would close down Hesco headquarters, and demanded the government to raise salaries and pension commensurate with the price hike in 2024-25 budget.

In Badin, Wapda union workers who had come from different towns of the district held a demonstration outside the office of Hesco executive engineer.

The local union leaders warned that the privatisation of national entities would not be tolerated and demanded that cheap electricity be provided to people and workers’ wages be increased in view of rising inflation.

They said that the employees who were forcibly transferred should be returned to their respective places. If their demands were not accepted they would hold protest in front of parliament, they warned.

In Nawabshah, members of Wapda union took out a procession, which culminated in a demonstration outside local press club.

The protesters’ leaders condemned plans for privatisation of distribution companies and demanded the government withdraw the decision of selling off national entities.

They demanded immediate recruitment to thousands of vacant positions in Wapda, cancellation of transfer orders of low-ranked staff to remote areas and their return to their hometowns and regularisation of contractual employees’ services.

Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2024