HYDERABAD: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union president Abdul Latif Nizamani has called for reopening closed powerhouses of Jamshoro, Kotri and Guddu to obtain cheap electricity for consumers and slammed bifurcation of National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC).

Mr Nizamani was speaking at a large procession brought out by Wapda workers in connection with the union’s ‘Youm-i-mutalibat’ (day of demands) outside local press club on Wednesday.

He said that for last 11 years recruitment in Wapda had remained closed and 20pc quota for deceased employees was not being implemented but directives for appointments on contract basis had been issued.

He said that feeders having over 30pc losses were being outsourced which indicated the fact that privatisation plan was being implemented in a phased manner but the union would not allow it to happen.

He regretted that the national enterprises were assets of the country which were being sold off on the dictates of IMF and World Bank. After continuous protests by the union the government had cancelled agreements with five independent power producers (IPPs), he said.

He demanded that all unjust pacts with all IPPs should be done away with so that people could get inexpensive electricity. The union was exposing IPPs in order to end sale of expensive electricity. If the IPPs were closed then electricity cost would come down significantly, he said.

He said that consumers were bearing 60pc cost of capacity charges even without using electricity and called for opening all closed powerhouses including Jamshoro, Kotri, Guddu so that inexpensive electricity could be obtained.

He was critical of the bifurcation of NTDC and termed it detrimental to the country’s integrity. There was shortage of 85,000 employees in Wapda while workers were facing transfers, show-cause notices and indifferent attitude of officers which was intolerable, he said.

He said that safety measures were not being followed for employees during duty hours. In absence of these measures, he said, fatal incidents were being reported. The government was increasing salaries of privileged class but avoiding raise in workers’ salaries, he lamented.

He said that at least 20pc raise should be made in employees’ salaries and industrial labour should be given minimum wages of Rs37,000 per month and should be allowed to form a union.

He pointed out that the union was raising just demands which should be taken seriously.

In Badin, Wapda workers took out a procession after closing their offices, marched on main Qaid-i-Azam road and demonstrated outside Aiwan-i-Sahafat.

The union leaders Ghous Khan and Amin Nizamani, Ghulam Mustafa and others said in their speeches that privatisation of distribution companies should be stopped immediately and the process of feeder outsourcing should be halted.

They demanded protection to employees during campaigns for recovery and against illegal connections.

The leaders warned if their demands were not accepted thousands of employees would stage sit-in at D-Chowk in Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, November 14th, 2024