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Karachi: Karachi Electric Supply Company has asked the former labour union and its self-proclaimed leaders to spare their families from inclusion in their theatrical and blackmailing media stunts, referring to the recent fake demonstration, where the defunct labour union had forced children to be part of the union’s false pressure tactics. KESC has expressed disappointment over this unethical exploitation and advised the former union office-bearers to refrain from such negative tactics which could affect mental health of their coming generations.
KESC said that now since the former union had failed to build any valid legal or economic case against the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) and had lost on legal, social and moral grounds, it has started playing emotional tricks to garner support for their flailing cause.
First they had staged a false self-immolation demonstration where an outer jacket had been lit and immediately thrown off and pulled down by their fellow friends who were on the standby.
Not only was this recent demonstration at KESC’s head office in violation of the section 144 imposed by the governing administration, but infect the law enforcers themselves had lodged an FIR # 38/2012 (Gizri Police Station) as violation of section 324/24, against the two theatrical protestors, who staged ‘self-immolation’.
KESC pointed out that a huge amount of Rs. 4.5 billion had already been disbursed among the over 3,200 non-core employees who had accepted the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS). Each of these beneficiaries, have been able to move on with their lives in a positive direction after pocketing an average of Rs. 1,500,000/- as the parting payout.
All these former employees had expressed satisfaction over the arrangement and they were starting a new life, with this additional windfall which has gone to their benefit and that of their families, especially since these non-core workers are being given a sum equivalent to their 5 years salary on an average.
Most of these leading protestors and so called labour champions have been offered a handsome VSS payout package commensurate with their service at KESC: Mohd Akhlaq Khan (Rs. 3,600,000/-), Abdul Wahid Kazmi (Rs. 4,300,000/-), Ghulam Asgher Shah (Rs. 3,800,000/-), Riaz Ahmed (Rs. 3,400,000/-), K.M. Idris (Rs. 3,400,000/-), Juma Chandio, Nazir Gul, Matin Sakrani, Samand Khan and Amir Muhammad (Rs. 3,000,000/- each), Matin Sakrani and Usman Baloch (Rs. 2,900,000/- each).
Important to note here is the fact, that purely on humanitarian grounds, KESC has also been dispensing a ‘relief package’ to all these remaining non-core employees as a gesture of goodwill till their economic sanity takes over and they accept VSS.
Even those who had been taking part in subversion and disruption campaign of the former union had been receiving the relief package, yet they have been appearing before the media and falsely claiming hardships due to lack of any income.
Therefore, KESC has shared the fact, that this step of right-sizing / VSS has not in any way created a situation of famine or distress in the families of separating employees as the former union was trying to stage.
Nobody was suffering, no kitchens had ceased to cook food for want of ration and no children had been stopped from going to schools for non-payment of fee because of VSS, because the attractive VSS package has ensured that each worker is parted in a way which provides them a platform for financial stability.
No employees had been removed from service without valid legal reasons and no salaries had been held up. The false misery created on street was just part of lies that the former union had been telling to exploit the situation in an emotional manner.
KESC has advised the former union to refrain from theatrics to gain sympathy, and accept the reality. The former union office-bearers had in fact been running “Ghunda Gardi” in the City by sabotaging KESC’s sensitive equipments/installation, beating employees, misusing and misguiding the remaining non-core employees and now that majority of them had been expressing willingness to accept VSS, the union leaders had become worried of being left alone so they were staging emotional drama to keep their left-over strength intact, KESC said.
KESC invited the remaining non-core employees to stop being part of the former union’s ulterior motives and accept the final voluntary separation scheme and file applications till the last date, Feb. 10, 2012, after which no applications would be entertained and this windfall benefit will have its curtains drawn.
For more information, contact:
Adil Murtaza
Assistant Manager, Media and PR
Karachi Electric Supply Company Limited (KESC)
2nd Floor, State Life Building No 11, Abdullah Haroon Road, Saddar, Karachi
Tel: +9221 9920 7163
Cell: +92346 822 3641
Email: adil.murtaza@kesc.com.pk