NOWSHERA: The members of Hydro Electric Labour Union staged a rally and went on strike here on Tuesday against the privatisation of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda).

Addressing the rally, Ali Said Khan, provincial deputy chairman of the union, said that the rulers were privatising Wapda to fill their pockets. The rally was attended by Wapda workers of both Pabbi and Nowshera divisions.

The protestors were also addressed by divisional chairman of the union Pervez Ahmad Khan, deputy chairman Khyber Zone Jan Syed Khan, Amjad Ali, Farshid Ali alias Raja Syed Iqbal Shah and Farzand Ali.

The speakers said that they locked their offices in Nowshera district like other parts of country against the privatisation of Wapda.

They said that the strike would continue from March 3 to March 5 across the country.

“The employees including workers of computer section would observe strike,” they said, adding that employees were united against the privatisation of Wapda.

The speakers said that hundreds of families of the workers would suffer owing to privatisation of Wapda.

They said that they would lunch protest march towards Wapda House to demonstrate their street power.

The speakers criticised the government for what they called its stepmother attitude with them.

They said that government should restore 35 per cent employees’ son quota immediately as their children were crossing the age limit for government jobs.

The speakers said that their struggle would continue till acceptance of their demands. The office-bearers of the union also visited different offices of Pesco in Nowshera.

Published in Dawn, March 4th, 2015

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