PESHAWAR: Wapda employees on Wednesday boycotted duties and held a protest rally outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, demanding increase in salaries, allowances and promotion.

The protesters led by All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa president Haji Mohammad Iqbal and general secretary Noor-ul-Amin Haiderzai, were holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands.

The protesting employees also shouted slogans.

Talking to mediapersons, the protesters’ leaders alleged that the government planned to privatise Wapda but the employees won’t allow the step. They said the creation of power distribution companies was a wrong decision which caused massive financial losses to Wapda.

They said delay in fresh recruitments on different posts, increase in salaries and different allowances was result of the creation of power distribution companies.

They urged the government to take the workers on board in the decision making process to avoid any conflict.

The union’s president Mohammad Iqbal urged the government to dissolve the power distribution companies, upgrade the employees, appoint heirs of the deceased and retired employees, construct new hydel power stations and increase employees’ salaries in proportion to price hike.

He also demanded continuation of a special bonus for the employees.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2020