PESHAWAR: Employees of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) on Tuesday boycott duties and held rallies against the government’s proposed plan to privatise Wapda, PIA and other national assets.

In the provincial capital, the protesters gathered outside the press club holding banners and placards inscribed with demands against the privatisation plan, and also shouted against the government.

All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union’s central chairman Gohar Taj, provincial chairman Mohammad Iqbal, general secretary Mustajab Mazdoryar, secretary information Gohar Ali Gohar, deputy chairman Ali Sayed and deputy secretary Liaqat Ali led the protesters.

Expressing his anger over invocation of Essential Services Maintenance Act in PIA, Mr Taj said such steps reminded the workers of the martial law period wherein activities of labour unions were banned.

He said privatisation of national assets like PIA and Wapda was not acceptable to employees.

The hydro union chief said the privatisation policy would not only ‘create’ problems for poor employees but would also ‘harm’ national economy, adding the responsibility would rest with the government. “We will not allow the government to sell national institutions at throwaway prices,” he said.

KARAK: Activists of Wapda hydro union locked Pesco offices and held a demonstration to protest the proposed privatisation of Wapda.

Addressing the protesters, union leaders said they would foil the proposal to privatise power utilities.

They demanded that employees’ son quota be increased up to 33 per cent and Wapda workers be given 50 per cent quota in promotion to higher scales.

TIMERGARA: The Pesco employees demonstrated outside the Timergara Press Club against government’s policy to privatise the the power distribution companies.

The protesters chanted slogans against the government and asked it to stop privatisation of power companies.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2016