LAHORE - Thousands of electricity/Wapda workers held a mass protest procession and rally in Faisalabad on Thursday under the auspices of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) against the proposed privatization of national profitable electricity companies including Fesco, Lesco and Iesco on the behest of IMF.
The protestors from FESCO and other electricity companies and generation and transmission sector from all parts of the country marched at the various roads of Faisalabad and held a mass protest rally before Faisalabad Press Club.
It was addressed by veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed, general secretary, along with Abdul Latif Nazmani, president, Haji Muhammad Ramzan Achakzai, joint president, Gohar Taj, chairman of the union, Rana Ghulam Jaffar, chairman, Ch Abdul Ghafar deputy chairman, Ch Sarfraz Ahmed Hundal, regional secretary Faisalabad, and other labourers representatives.They demanded of the Prime Minister to introduce for reaching reforms in the electricity system and take over control and administration from the private members of Board of Directors of the electricity companies having no investment in the companies.
They warned of holding march in Islamabad if the government fails to meet their demands raised in yesterday’s protest.
The rally, by a resolution, demanded the PM to intervene and issue order not to privatize profitable distribution companies in the wider public interest and develop cheaper hydel and gas fired thermal power station in the public sector. It also urged PM to get enforced all labour laws through independent labour inspection machinery and save the workers from tragic accidents and occupational diseases in the industrial enterprises. It also demanded replacement of Xen to the post of the CEO of QESCO by competent senior personnel on merit basis.