Voicing concerns: WAPDA workers oppose privatisation plans

Union’s leaders warn of suspending electric supply if privatisation not renounced.

HYDERABAD: The workers’ union of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) has warned of a prolonged protest movement against the privatisation of power production and distribution companies.

The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union boycotted work and padlocked many of their offices on Thursday in all the districts of Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas and Nawabshah divisions in protest. In some districts, they even staged token sit-ins on the highways.

At a protest rally in Hyderabad, the union’s central leader, Abdul Latif Nizmani, said they will stage a sit-in outside the Parliament House in Islamabad on January 28. “The capitalist government, which has been formed in the name of democracy, isn’t ready to listen to the labourers,” sceamed Nizamani, who has been leading the workers’ struggle against privatisation for the last two decades. “Despite our continuous protests, preparations to sell off these companies are in full swing. Even the finance minister [Ishaq Dar] has reassured that the process will be completed by June.”

The Council of Common Interests (CCI) had already approved denationalisation of the distribution companies and generation companies in the February 2014 meeting. The process was stipulated to be completed by June 2015.

“These national companies are not property of the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund that they can be sold on their dictation. The government should keep the national and workers’ interest on priority,” said Nizmani.

The union leaders warned that they will suspend electric supply to the whole country if the government did not renounce the privatisation. Several central and provincial level leaders of the union also addressed the rally.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2015.