Hydro-Electric Workers Union Stages “Pen-Down” Strike, Protest Rally Against Possible WAPDA Privatization

Sanghar (Hasnain Ashiq Sand)  Pakistan WAPDA Hydro-Electric Workers Union organized a pen-down strike to protest the potential privatization of WAPDA and to press for resolution of other worker-related issues. Following the strike, employees marched in a protest rally from the Division Office to the Press Club, culminating in a sit-in. Participants raised slogans against the federal government.

According to reports, the protest rally was led by Divisional Chairman Noor Hassan Bhughio and General Secretary Akhtar Ali Kaloi, with a large number of WAPDA employees taking part. During the sit-in, speakers including Noor Hassan Bhughio, Akhtar Ali Kaloi, Abdul Ghafoor Brohi, Manzoor Khaskheli, Irfan Malik, Rustam Ali Magsi, Akbar Nizamani, Rajab Ali Bhughio, Abdul Razaq Soomro, Abdul Ghani Nizamani, Shaukat Ali Khushk, Om Prakash, and others addressed the gathering.

They stated that under the pressure of the IMF and the World Bank, the federal government is planning WAPDA’s privatization, which they said would be unfair to thousands of workers and the general public. The leaders emphasized that the protest is being carried out under the guidance of WAPDA’s Central Chairman, Abdul Latif Nizamani.

Speakers highlighted that vacancies in WAPDA remain unfilled, causing hardships for employees, while the government insists on reducing expenditures. They questioned why ministers and advisers can get pay raises, but WAPDA workers’ salaries remain stagnant.

The union leaders warned that if the government does not immediately halt the privatization plan, the protests would intensify. Demonstrators demanded that the privatization decision be withdrawn and workers’ issues addressed promptly, cautioning that further non-action would lead to stronger resistance.