HYDERABAD: Several hundred employees of the Jamshoro Power House (Genco-I) blocked a section of the Indus Highway on Friday for acceptance of their demands. Their sit-in continued for about eight hours.

The protesters held a sit-in on a call given by their union. They boycotted their duites and blocked the main gate of the power house. The sit-in resulted in suspension of vehicular traffic on the Indus Highway.

The protesters kept raising slogans against denial of pay raise and disparity reduction allowance with their salaries.

Genco-I agrees to pay 10pc rise, 25pc additional allowance

The chief executive officer of the power house, Tanvir Ahmed Jafri, first spoke to the protesting workers and assured them that their issues would be taken up with the higher authorities. The talks continued for quite some time but eventually failed.

During the course of the sit-in, Qaumi Awami Tehreek president Ayaz Latif Palijo came and joined the protest.

The Kotri assistant commissioner, along with some senior police officers, also held negotiations with protesters though unsuccessfully.

Finally, Wapda authorities decided to convene a meeting of Genco-I board of governors (BoD) to resolve the issue.

CEO Jafri returned to the protesters after seven hours of sit-in to produce the letter about the BoD meeting having been scheduled for March 19. The BoD would discuss the one-point agenda — employees’ demands — which were genuine, he said.

“Employees will be paid a 10pc raise and 25pc disparity reduction allowance with their salaries,” he announced, and said the higher authorities had been taken on board on this matter.

Union leaders Noor Ahmed Soomro, Samiullah, Naeem Arain and others said that workers were not paid their increased salaries. They said all employees of the federal government were paid 25pc disparity reduction allowance but Genco-I employees were denied this. They said power house units were producing inexpensive electricity but they were kept closed under a conspiracy.

They also deplored that government wanted to put employees in surplus pool by keeping these units closed, and said this would not be accepted.

Published in Dawn, March 12th, 2022