PESHAWAR: The leaders of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union have expressed concerns over delay in filling the vacant posts and urged the authorities to appoint competent people on the seats to overcome shortage of employees and control fatal incidents.

Addressing a workers’ convention here on Monday, All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union central chairman Gohar Taj, provincial chairman Haji Mohammad Iqbal, secretary Mustajab Mazdoor Yar, deputy chairman Ali Syed and deputy secretary Liaquat Ali said that Wapda employees were faced with many problems owing to shortage of staff.

Mr Taj said that 70 per cent of the sanctioned posts of line staff and meter readers were vacant in Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) that overburdened the existing staff. The workers had to meet the target round the clock even in inclement weather, he added.

He said that many employees lost lives while several others got paralysed while performing duty. He demanded payment of the pending daily wages to the employees and expediting work on upgrading Pesco employees to remove unrest among them.

Mr Taj said that All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union would succeed in the Februar 2 referendum and would continue its efforts to stop privatisation of Wapda at all costs. He said that siblings of the deceased workers would be appointed on the vacancies on priority basis so that the affected families would not face financial problems.

The union chief said that efforts would be made for filling the vacancies on merit so that Pesco could get its target in recovery, maintenance and development work.

Published in Dawn, January 31st, 2017