LAHORE, Oct 1: Wapda workers on Wednesday observed a protest day throughout the country against the proposed privatization of the Jamshoro powerhouse and Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (Fesco).

They criticised the policy to privatize national assets in meetings held in different cities and urged the president and the prime minister to desist from handing them over to foreigners as it would result in further increase in electricity rates.

The Pakistan Wapda Hydro-Electric Central Labour Union took out a procession from the Bakhtiar Labour Hall which terminated at the Lahore Press Club. The workers carried banners and placards inscribed with their demands and raised slogans.

Addressing the workers outside the Lahore Press Club, union secretary general Khurshid Ahmad, deputy chairman Malik Noor Muhammad and additional joint president Badarul Islam Abdali said the government should construct new dams and hydel power stations for generating low cost electricity instead of raising its rates by selling the existing facilities to foreigners.

They also demanded restoration of the Efficiency Allowance for scales 9 to 16 and recruitment quota of the children of Wapda workers. They welcomed the decision to regularize the service of contract employees after three years and called for its early implementation.

They demanded posting of the surplus employees of Faisalabad Engineering Academy and Tarbela Powerhouse near their homes and repeal of the Industrial Relations Ordinance and Removal from Service Ordinance.