SUKKUR: Employees of Sepco and Hesco took out rallies and staged sit-ins and demonstrations after boycotting work in several Sindh towns on Wednesday, in protest against Minister of State for Water & Power Abid Sher Ali’s criticism of workers’ union and suspension of a number of employees.
Leaders of All Pakistan WAPDA Hydro Electric Workers Union who led the protests demanded immediate removal of the minister and withdrawal of suspension orders of employees.
In Sukkur, employees of the Sukkur Electric Power Company (Sepco) observed tool down and pen down strike to record their anger over the minister’s calling the union a ‘mafia’ and suspending employees at his press conference at Wapda Rest House on Monday.
The minister suspended at least one XEN, five SDOs, 10 meter readers, two meter inspectors and a lineman of Sepco while calling meter readers 100 per cent corrupt.
The Sepco staff in Sukkur, Rohri, Salehpat, Pano Akil, Ghotki, Daharki, Mirpur Mathelo, Ubauro, Khairpur, Ranipur, Kotdiji, Setharja and other towns assembled at Sepco head office after boycotting work to record their protest.
The union leaders Nisar Ahmed Shaikh, Wali Mohammad Leghari, Syed Zahid Hussain Shah and others criticised the minister and warned that they would not allow implementation of the suspension orders.
The enraged employees kept chanting slogans against the minister in the course of speeches by their leaders and torched an effigy of the minister outside the main gate of the Sepco head office to give vent to their anger.
Later, they marched in a large rally from the Sepco head office towards the press club where they held a demonstration and sit-in.
In Jacobabad, the protesting employees put locks on the Sepco offices in response to the union’s call to record protest against the minister and took out a rally which marched on different roads before converging at the press club where they held a sit-in.
The union leaders said on the occasion the minister was anti-employees who was taking action against workers to hide his inability to go after influential power thieves.
They demanded immediate removal of the minister and withdrawal of suspension orders of Sepco and Hesco employees.
Similar protests were held in many other towns of the interior of Sindh against the federal minister.
KHAIRPUR: Sepco employees observed a complete strike in the district in protest against the minister’s remarks and plans to privatise Wapda.
They shut Sepco offices in Pir jo Goth, Gambat, Ranipur, Piryaloi, Kot Diji, Setharja and other towns and did not do any office work. Field employees also joined the protest.
Later, the protesting employees gathered before Wapda Old Power House and took out a rally which drove to Sukkur to join the main protest by their colleagues.
Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2015
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