PESCO works council eyes apolitical culture. PHOTO: FILE
The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) on Friday established a works council, a body to ensure better labour management and specifically restricting employees from taking part in political activities.
Pesco intends to have the human resource and administration director monitor activities of employees and exercise vigilance in the implementation of decisions of the works council. Violation of the two main aims will entail disciplinary action against employees under the relevant law. A meeting will also be held twice a quarter to record the council’s progress.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s (K-P) Hydroelectric Central Labour Union (Heclu), which is the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) for Wapda employees, said the term “political activities” requires elaboration.
Heclu K-P General Secretary Mustajab Mazdoryar said, “The union will not change its stance on the matter pertaining to selling or privatisation of Pesco and if our protests are taken in the context of political activities we will not abide by this decision.”
“If by political activities the management means there should not be any expressive manifestation on the part of employees to side with any political party to pressure them, then the union agrees with the decision of the works council,” he said, adding the matter will be clarified in a meeting with Pesco authorities.
The works council comprises Pesco Chief Executive Tariq Sadozai as the convener and Pesco COO Muhammad Nadeem and other officials as members. Five nominees from the CBA are also part of the council.
Mazdoryar informed The Express Tribune that Heclu has decided to forward names of its central chairman Gohar Taj, provincial chairman Muhammad Iqbal, deputy chairman Ali Syed and deputy secretary Liaqat Khan besides his own for five nominees from CBA.
According to Pesco spokesperson Shaukat Afzal, the works council’s main functions will be to promote measures for ensuring labour management, understanding between the workforce and maintaining relations between the management and workers.
He added it will also work to settle disputes through bilateral negotiation.
“Basically, providing workers with the best working conditions and job satisfaction will come in the domain of the works council,” he said.
Apart from this, Heclu is seeking the implementation of a policy that ensures jobs for children of Wapda employees who die on duty and in service. It also wants a 33% quota for jobs for employee’s children.
“We are one of the stakeholders in Pesco but surprisingly are not part of the Pesco Board of Directors (BoD)”, Mazdoryar complained, adding this is why rifts continue to spring up between Pesco authorities and employees as decisions are made by BoDs without employees’ say in it.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 11th, 2014.
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