QUETTA: Hundrads of workers of the All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union (CBA) staged a demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club on Tuesday as part of nationwide protests against the proposed privatisation of power distribution companies.
Addressing the gathering, the union’s Central Joint President and Provincial Chairman, Muhammad Ramzan Achakzai, urged the federal government to halt the privatisation process, fill 70 per cent of vacant posts to improve worker safety, and initiate dialogue with the CBA union on its pending charter of demands.
He said the union had already served dispute and strike notices under the Industrial Relations Act (IRA) 2012 and sought conciliation through the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), but alleged that the Ministry of Energy had failed to engage in meaningful negotiations despite the passage of several months.
Mr Achakzai criticised the government’s reported plan to privatise the Islamabad, Faisalabad and Gujranwala power distribution companies, arguing that previous power sector reforms and agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) had contributed to rising electricity tariffs and placed a heavy financial burden on consumers.
He also called on the government to appoint a permanent chief executive officer for Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco), recruit staff to fill vacant positions, improve safety measures for field workers, provide pending promotions and benefits, and address shortages of equipment and housing for employees.
The union warned that if negotiations were not initiated, it would proceed with a strike in accordance with the law, maintaining that dialogue remained the best way to resolve labour disputes.
