KESC in a bind

MUSCAT: This is with reference to your report of January 22 titled “PPP core committee: Three-member body formed to resolve KESC sackings”. One feels bad for the people who worked hard there and lost their jobs. However, one needs to also look at the larger picture in that, the people of Karachi protest and vent their anger against long bouts of loadshedding and power outages. But when the KESC tries to cut costs by laying off workers who have been deemed redundant, the politicians step in and give fiery speechs against the company for playing havoc with the livelihood of its staff.

Clearly, organisations such as the KESC — which was state-owned until some years ago — are overstaffed because, for years, they have had to take in people on their rolls because of political pressures. They clearly do not need so many people and the logical thing would be to lay them off. And it has taken the courageous decision to do just that. Our politicians should be more concerned about the city of 18 million people getting uninterrupted supply of electricity than caving into the demand of 4,000 workers, most of whom are likely to be inefficient and not worthy of being employed in the first place.

Anjum H

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24^th, 2011.