Pia protest: WAPDA workers condemn govt action

HYDERABAD: The employees union of Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has condemned the assault on the protesting staff of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) in Karachi and called for withdrawing the Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1952. All Pakistan Hydro Electric Workers Union (collective bargaining agent) staged a demonstration in several districts on Tuesday against the privatisation of power production and distribution companies. “We feel the same pain and agony the staff of PIA is going through,” said Abdul Latif Nizamani, the central chairperson of the union while addressing scores of workers in Hyderabad. “Instead of taking steps to improve performance of the government organisations, the federal government has expedited the pace of privatisation.” Nizamani and other protesters warned of resisting the bid to privatise Wapda. “Hundreds of thousands of employees of government organisations on the privatisation list will never accept this sell-off,” said the union leader. The protests were also organised in Jamshoro, Sanghar, Nawabshah, Badin, Matiari, Mirpurkhas and other districts.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd,  2016.