HYDERABAD: On a call given by the All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers’ Union (CBA), employees of power utilities across Sindh boycotted their duties and held demonstrations at their workplaces on Tuesday against what they described as ‘anti-worker moves’ by Wapda and other power distribution companies.

In Hyderabad, protesting workers, after holding a demonstration at their workplaces, marched up to the local press club raising slogans against “unfair” sacking, transfers and outsourcing of metering section.

Speaking to them, CBA leaders Iqbal Qaimkhani, Iqbal Ahmed Khan, Azam Khan, Malik Sultan Ali and others warned that the scope of the protest would be widened if recent anti-worker moves were not done away with.

They condemned moves to curtail the facilities, incentives and rights given to workers under the law, prescribed rules and agreements between the employers and employees.

They vowed to resist the plan to outsource metering section tooth and nail.

They also demanded an end to unnecessary load-shedding “effected only to contain line losses” and issuance of ‘detection bills’ to consumers.

In Sukkur, Wapda workers along with employees of Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) took out a rally raising slogans against forced retirement, suspension of workers and transfer of a large number of employees to the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) head office in Lahore.

The rally started from Sepco’s operation circle office and ended at the local press club, where CBA leaders Wali Mohammed Leghari, Syed Zahid Hussain Shah, Aftab Kalwar and others spoke to the participants.

They said that workers were being harassed and sacked in the name of disciplinary action while many were being forcibly retired and transferred to places far away from their area of residence on different pretexts.

In Larkana, protesting power utilities’ workers boycotted their duties and held demonstrations at their workplaces on the call of Wapda CBA.

Later, speaking at a news conference in the local press club, their leaders Khalid Chandio, Abdullah Soomro, Hashim Gaad and others said that in February alone, 22 workers were demoted and their increments stopped by Sepco, four employees were transferred to far-flung areas, 35 were sent on forced retirement and four workers were sacked.

They said the Sepco management must hold talks with the labour leaders concerned to sort out issues instead of taking unilateral action.

They said the CBA would not allow employers to resort to downsizing without any justification.

They demanded withdrawal of all sacking, early retirement and transfer orders.

Similar protests were held at various Sepco installations and offices in Khairpur district on Tuesday.

CBA leader Wali Mohammed Leghari, along with protesting workers, told the media that officers supposed to ensure recovery of dues between Rs100,000 and Rs500,000 a month from consumers/defaulters had failed to meet the target and, therefore, started shifting the blame to their subordinates and were recommending action against them.

Mr Leghari said the CBA would not tolerate unfair treatment being meted out to workers.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2017