HYDERABAD: Activists of All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union brought out rallies in Hyderabad and Larkana on Wednesday to press power utilities to accept the union’s demands.

The union’s president Abdul Latif Nizamani who led the rally in Hyderabad called for regularising services of contractual and daily wage workers.

Around 584 daily wage workers and 302 contractual employees had been working in Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) and 263 in Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) since January 2013, he said.

He said the power utilities had stopped giving jobs to heirs of deceased employees as per 20per cent quota since 2013, and vowed to launch struggle for their appointment.

He called for protection of the employees who were working against power pilferage. They deserved awards by the management for their work. Those responsible for workers’ accidental deaths should be punished, he said.

LARKANA: Wapda union workers took out a rally after observing pen- and tool-down strike from 9am to 12 noon.

The union leaders who led the rally said that Sepco management was delaying promotions of workers and demanded early regularisation of daily wagers, contractual employees and part-time workers.

They said that field workers were facing untoward situation while taking action against the electricity thieves and defaulters while they also had to work with limited number of protective gear needed for rectifying day to day power faults.

Published in Dawn, March 13th, 2019