HYDERABAD, Feb 4: The Hesco employees distributed sweets and garlanded Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union (CBA) president Abdul Latif Nizamani and other union leaders here on Monday on revision of pay scales of accounts, audit staff and commercial assistants.

The employees gathered at the labour hall and celebrated the event by distributing sweets and garlanding the union office- bearers. Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Latif Nizamani profusely thanked the Wapda officials for accepting the demands of the CBA union.

He urged the workers to remain united and improve their performance. He demanded of the Pakistan government to repatriate the in-service and retired army officers who were working in different departments adding that the job of the army was to defend the country against external aggression and not to interfere into the civil departments.

He said that Wapda and Pepco had constituted a committee, which would submit its recommendations before March 31, and expressed the hope that the pay scales of the remaining cadres of Wapda employees would also be revised. He, however, called upon the workers to reduce the line losses and improve recovery of bills to deserve more benefits.

WORKERS ATTACKED: A large number of daily-wage workers observed a token hunger strike at the gate of the Lakhra Power House in Khanoth on Monday in protest against low wages.

The workers who are paid Rs130 per day demanded increase in their wages.

Several workers, including Khan Mohammad Khoso and Ali Murad Khoso, were injured when a contractor, Qalandar Bux Khoso, attacked them with his henchmen to force them to call off the protest.

Abdullah Khoso, Ali Murad Rind and other labour leaders said that the main contractor had not fulfilled his promise to raise the wages. They alleged that the attackers had resorted to firing in the air. Villagers of the area also joined the protest.

The labour leaders demanded arrest of the contractors as the situation was controlled by police.

The workers called off the protest when the power house’s authorities held talks with them and assured them that their wages would be increased and the contractors removed.