LAHORE -  Wapda/Electricity workers on Wednesday held a meeting under the aegis of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA at Bakhtiar Labour Hall.

The meeting was presided over by veteran trade union leader and General Secretary Khurshid Ahmed.

 During the meeting, the union leaders urged the federal and provincial governments to take notice of the price hike of essential commodities. They said that basic necessities like vegetables, especially tomatoes and onions, are beyond the reach of common man. Government should introduce price freezing of essential commodities to check the profiteers and hoarders, they demanded.

By another resolution, the house expressed a great concern over the rising accidents of line staff and urged the federal and provincial governments to enforce safety and health laws through Independent Labour Inspection Machinery in conformity with ILO Convention No 81 and 155 and prevent tragic accidents and occupational diseases of the workers engaged in electricity, transport, chemical, mines, engineering, construction etc.

The meeting was also addressed by Rana Abdul Shakoor, Muzaffar Mateen, Ch Maqsood, Javed Iqbal, Osama Tariq, Zafar Shah, Sheikh Shoaib, Rana Akram, Haji Latif, Nosher Khan and others. By another resolution, the house also condemned barbaric killing of innocent Myanmar minority and Kashmiris and appealed to the United Nation and freedom loving nations to prevent their genocide.

By another resolution, the house urged the prime minister to merge all distribution companies under Wapda to provide better services to electricity consumers. They also urged the prime minister to allocate adequate resources for developing hydel generation for providing cheaper electricity @ Rs1.50 per unit to the national industries, agriculture, commerce and common citizens as the private power houses have been providing electricity @ Rs16 per unit.

PR