Three-day strike by power utility workers against privatisation begins
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HYDERABAD: Responding to a call for a three-day tool-down strike from the All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union (CBA), power utility workers in Sindh started the protest against privatisation process by holding public meetings, demonstrations and rallies in almost all cities and towns of the province on Tuesday.
In Hyderabad, the protesting workers assembled at the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) headquarters under the leadership of CBA chief Abdu Latif Nizamani.
Hesco Officers Association leaders and members also joined in the protest.
Hundreds of the workers along with their officers took out rallies from their respective towns and reached Sukkur to assemble at Sepco headquarters to hold a noisy demonstration against moves to privatise power utility organisations.
Speaking to the protesters, Mr Nizamani said that the CBA had staged the biggest ever sit-in in Islamabad on Feb 18 against privatisation of national assets.
He said that government was not ready to listen to workers’ voice and was following dictations of World Bank and IMF. However, he added, workers would fight their case by availing all legal options.
Employees of the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) locked their workplaces at Sukkur, old Sukkur, Rohri, Pannu Aqil, Salehpat, Gambat, Setharja, Piryaloi, Pir Jo Goth, Ranipur, Kotdiji, Khairpur, Luqman, Ghotki, Khanpur Mahar, Mirpur Mathelo, Daharki, Ubauro and other towns to join in the demonstration, which continued throughout the day.
Power utilities workers in Umerkot, Mirpurkhas and Dadu also took out rallies and held demonstrations after stay away from their duties on the call of the Wapda CBA.
In Larkana, protesting workers pitched a camp in the old power house, where labour leaders spoke to them and vowed to resist all moves to privatise power utilities.
Protest rallies and demonstrations were also held in Badin, Tando Bago, Talhar, Matli, Golarchi, Pangrio and Tando Ghulam Ali to condemn the government’s privatisation policy.
Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2015
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