Govt-brokered deal ends KESC-union standoff
By: Shamim ur Rahman
KARACHI: Employees of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) called off their three-month protest against the company’s lay-off policy after the government brokered an agreement amid bitter bargaining at around 7am on Tuesday.
Jubilant workers encamped outside the Karachi Press Club and the nearby Fawwara Chowk for about 20 hours waiting for the outcome of the talks celebrated the agreement by dancing in the streets.
The agreement hammered out after about 20 hours of intense negotiation was different in that at no stage in the final round of talks the workers came face-to-face with the management. The talks were held on the initiative of Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad at the Governor’s House and the Karachi Commissioner’s House with the help of the civil administration.
Home Minister Manzoor Wassan and Sindh PPP secretary-general Taj Haider played an important role in the successful talks.
On July 21, the governor had assured the protesting workers that a positive outcome could be expected by July 25 and the agreement was reached a few hours after the given deadline.
It was agreed that to ensure immediate relief to power consumers, all business operations of the KESC would be normalised with immediate effect. As such, all KESC service centres would be reopened without impediments.
The first priority of the parties after the agreement was to normalise the operations of the power utility to meet the challenge from the monsoon rain that started to lash the city and hit the fragile KESC network on Tuesday.
Key points of accord
The agreement provides for deferment of post-VSS (voluntary separation scheme) retrenchment on the part of the KESC management and an end to all protests and sit-ins with immediate effect by workers.It calls for the formation of a ‘dispute resolution committee (DRC)Â’ within a week.
The committee will comprise representatives from the KESC management, CBA and the administration, and will address all disputed matters – including FIRs and adjustments against abolished positions – under the provisions of the agreement.
Pending the DRC’s final decision, workers will not resume their previous work positions but they will be allowed to mark their attendance on the muster toll. The KESC management will not sack any worker at the moment.
The DRC will evaluate its recommendations that will be solely on a case-to-case basis, and its decisions will be binding on stakeholders.
The expeditious disbursement of a relief package for workers who have been offered VSS and their remunerations are being held in abeyance.
No coercive action against VSS will be taken by either side.
The KESC management will pay up the outstanding amounts to those who have accepted the VSS.
The two sides will adhere to a ‘code of conduct’ according to which the court orders ‘CPD 1428/2011’ will be fully complied with.
Both sides will ensure complete industrial peace and harmony at the KESC.
Members of the CBA will not indulge in violence and if they did so, the civil administration will initiate action against them under the relevant laws.
Early payment of workers’ outstanding salaries will be ensured and the disbursement will be done before the start of Ramazan.
CBA satisfied
CBA Chairman Akhlaq Ahmed Khan said after the agreement that about 80 per cent of the dispute stood resolved. He hoped that the remaining 20 per cent would also be resolved soon through the DRC.
“The KESC management’s intentions in the past were not good… if they tried to deviate (from the agreement), it will not be good,” he said.
Karachi Commissioner Mohammad Hussain Syed was quoted as saying that all the workers sent to the surplus pool would be adjusted at work.
Chronology of standoff
The KESC-CBA standoff started in January 19 when the management sacked 4,500 employees. The affected workers reacted violently and laid a siege to the KESC headquarters. But after the government’s intervention, the management withdrew the orders and workers called off their protest.
However, the management once again came out with its move by implementing the VSS.
As a consequence, the CBA announced a fast-unto-death on April 29 which was later converted into a sit-in outside the Karachi Press Club, the utility’s head offices and Fawwara Chowk.
On the governor’s intervention on July 21, the sit-in was suspended until July 25 to provide the cooling-off period for the resolution of the issue.
On the night of July 25, Karachi commissioner along with three deputy commissioners engaged the CBA in crucial talks and hammered out a broad understanding for subsequent acceptance by the management. However, the KESC management appeared not willing to soften its stance and stuck to its stated position.
It took the government team more than 15 hours to make the management agree to the broad understanding with certain binding clauses.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/27/2011
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