Electricity workers observe Demand Day

LAHORE:Electricity/Wapda workers observed Demand Day on Thursday under All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union CBA. Hundreds of workers carrying national flags and banners participated in support of their demands on Nisbet Road.

They demanded from the federal minister, federal secretary energy, chief executive officers of DISCOs to ensure safe and healthy working condition for line staff since two members of the line staff, Muhammad Yasir, ALM Sharaqpur Sub Division Lesco, and Irfan Haider, Lineman Jhang Road Faisalabad, died in fatal accident on Tuesday while working on electricity line.

Khurshid Ahmed, General Secretary of the union, addressing the workers, appealed to them that it is their basic right to refuse to work in case safety regulations are not observed and save their lives and health at workplaces in all circumstances and urged the federal minister and federal secretary energy to sanction one month pay to electricity workers as efficiency award on Eidul Azha since they had been performing their duties round-the-clock in the present phase of serious shortage of staff, pandemic and unsafe working conditions.

The rally was also addressed by Haji Yonas, Rana Shakoor, Muzaffar Mateen, Naveed Dogar, Osama Tariq, Nosher Khan, Malik Zahoor and other representatives.

By a resolution the workers urged Lesco to fill vacant posts to ease the burden of heavy load upon the electricity staff and called upon chief ministers to raise the wages and pension of the workers commensurate with price hike.

They disapprove of the proposal to reduce retirement age of the government and semi-government employees from 60 years to 55 years. They condemned atrocities in Held Kashmir and appealed to the UN and the world to help stop genocide of Kashmiri people.