Sacked employees attack KESC office

Dismissed employees of the power company protest against their lay-offs, demand immediate reinstatement.

KARACHI: Dismissed employees of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) staged a protest in Karachi on Thursday against their lay-offs.

They attacked the KESC office near Defence Phase 4, demanding their immediate reinstatement. Angry employees damaged the office property and other KESC personnel.

Speaking to Express 24/7 after the attack on the KESC office, KESC spokesperson Ayesha Eirabie said that following today's incident, there was no room for negotiation. "Now, we would not even try and listen to what the union has to say."

She said the situation had been created by the union, accusing them of trying to destroy the company's property, of assaulting its employees and of trying to disrupt its operations.

KESC laid off over 4,000 workers on Wednesday, under a cost-cutting drive to make the utility financially viable.

A company press release put it as the “elimination of a number of its [KESC’s] non-core and redundant functions”.

KESC Spokesperson, Ayesha Eirabie told a private TV channel that these employees were offered a golden handshake.

Eirabie claims they were offered to take their retirement voluntarily however, they declined it.

The fired employees include sanitary workers, security guards, bill distributors, attendants and drivers. The company announced that non-core office jobs have been outsourced. At the same time, other positions such as petrol pump attendant, office time keeper, junior office attendant, daftari and typist have been abolished.