האגודה הישראלית לחקר יחסי עבודה

victory of the All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union in the nationwide referendum by secret ballot for next three years under the supervision of joint registrar of Trade Union National Industrial Relations Commission of Pakistan on the directions of a Division Bench of the Islamabad High Court. The union the largest number of votes at 331 polling station all over the country, including all provinces and Islamabad Capital Territory. The union had earlier won a referendum on 29 May, 2013 with a thumping majority. Other trade union namely Pakistan Wapda Workers Pegham Union, Pakistan Wapda Employees Insaf Union and Pakistan Wapda Pasban Union got very limited votes. Pakistan Wapda Pegham Employees Union was defeated consecutively in the five nationwide referendums held earlier.

At the rally, veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed, general secretary of the union, thanked thousands of Elecy/Wapda workers for casting their votes in favour of the union and making the union successful in the referendum. The workers gathered from various parts of the city on Nisbat Road in front of Labour Hall and chanted slogans long live Pakistan, workers unity and their struggle. He declared that the Democratic Trade Union Movement in every society played a key role to maintain and strengthen social democratic system and promoted social justice and raised the dignity of working men and women and their fight against the exploitative forces in order to establish an egalitarian society as pronounced by the Father of the Nation.

Elecy/Wapda is the largest national public utility organisation of employees having a large number of workers. Thus, their representative and workers of trade union are not only to play an exemplary role for strengthening the democratic order of nation, but also defend and promote the fundamental rights of the working class and down trodden people of the nation. He declared that this nationwide referendum was held sixth time today and this symbolised the victory of democratic forces in the county. He added that the union had been making every effort to raise the productivity of the national public utilities Wapda/EIecy and help overcome load-shedding and promote welfare of workers in the national public utility and ensure better quality of their lives.

It had been able to prevent privatisation of the national electricity public utility twice consecutively in the year 2013 and 2016 through concreted struggle for the working class. He declared that the union would spare no efforts for providing better services to electricity consumers numbering 25 million and it would improve the working and living conditions of the workers.

The meeting was also addressed by Ch Muhammad Younas, Rana Abdul Shakoor, Ch Maqsood Ahmad, Rana Muhammad Akram, Muzaffar Mateen, Muhammad Tariq, Akbar Ali Khan, Additional General Secretary Osama Tariq, Rubina Jameel and Ch Muhammad Anwar representatives of All Pakistan Workers Confederation. It was decided that workers would observe “Thanks Giving Day” on 3rd February all over the country and pledge to continue to make concreted efforts to achieve the objectives of welfare of workers and improve working of the national public utility and defeat the divisive forces.

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