KARACHI: Rallies seek protection to workers rights: May Day observed
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, May 1: Public rallies, seminars and other programmes were held on Thursday to mark the May Day. Most of the rallies were largely attended by workers of government and private organizations. Tributes were paid to those who laid down their lives in their struggle for the rights of labourers in Chicago in 1886.
Labour leaders from various organizations, in their speeches, condemned the federal government for imposing Industrial Relations Ordinance-2002 on workers to deprive them of their rightful benefits and facilities. They demanded its immediate withdrawal and pledged that they would not allow the government to usurp the workers of the rights.
Rejecting the IRO, they observed that it contradicted the UN Human Rights Conventions as well as the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions.
They further observed that employers throughout the world had restricted a worker’s duty to eight hours. However, they regretted, Pakistan had miserable failed to take any action against quite a large number of employers who had long been flouting the internationally recognized regulation.
The leaders demanded enforcement of the relevant law that restricted working hours to 40-hour a week. They also demanded implementation of the 7th wage award for the workers of newspaper industry.
An eminent trade union leader, S. P. Lodhi, addressing at a rally organized by the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUFP), urged workers to forge unity in their ranks and be prepared for a hard and long struggle for their rights. “Our fight is against the vested interests who are agents of the imperialist forces and are bent upon exploiting poor masses.” he told the workers.
The same agents, he added, had constantly been trying to divide the workers on the basis of religion, sect, caste, creed, community, ethnicity, etc. He cautioned them not to fall prey to these agents’ nefarious designs. He also criticized globalization saying that it was aimed at undermining the economic interests of the developing states.
Saleem Raza of the NTUFP said that almost no major political party had placed the workers’ issues on its priority list. Therefore, he added, the workers should now opt for sending their own representatives to the parliament in order to protect their rights.
Predicting collapse of the local industry after 2005, Mr Raza explained that following the withdrawal of customs tariffs in that year, the local industry with its obsolete technology and incompatible workforce would not be able to counter the flood of imported products. To safeguard the industry and its workers, he said, long- and short-term policies must be formulated to meet the challenge. He said that political stability and peace were essential to attract foreign investment.
Senator Mian Raza Rabbani observed that the IRO-2002 had become invalid. Elaborating, he said that all ordinances had to be ratified by the parliament within four months of their promulgation or must be re-promulgated. As the IRO, promulgated in October 2002, had neither been re-promulgated nor ratified by the parliament as yet, it had lost it validity.
Among others who spoke on the occasion were Farooq Tariq, Habibudddin Junaidi, Shafiq Ghauri, Munawwar Raza, Malik Mohammad Rafiq, M. A. K. Azmati, Shaukat Ali, Roshan Kalhoro and Ghafoor Baloch. Verses highlighting workers’ problems were recited by Mohammad Mian (a senior journalist), Ali Akber, Noor Zaman and others.
KUJ: The Karachi Union of Journalists and Karachi Press Club on Thursday vowed to continue their struggle, along with the workers of the world, against the anti-worker policies of globalization and World Trade Organization.
In a joint resolution, adopted at a meeting held under the chairmanship of KUJ President, Qamarullah Chaudhry, the journalists condemned the contract labour system and the present wage structure in newspaper establishments.
The resolution urged the government to redress all the workers problems and implement the 7th Wage Board Award.
The meeting was addressed by the Chairman of APNEC, Abdul Hameed Chhapra, Assistant Secretary General of PFUJ and KPC Secretary Khursheed Abbasi, Vice President of KPC Khurshid Tanveer, Secretary General of KUJ Rana Khalid and Mazhar Abbas.
PTCL: PTCL workers observed Labour Day by expressing solidarity with the workers and labourers of the country and the world and denouncing World Bank and IMF for enforcing their anti-labour policies.
A gathering at the Central Telegraph Office was addressed by Mr Ziauddin, President of the Pakistan Telecom Employees Union (CBA).
He and many other labour leaders criticized involvement of armed forces and international institutions in the affairs of public and private sectors in Pakistan.
KARACHI, May 1: Public rallies, seminars and other programmes were held on Thursday to mark the May Day. Most of the rallies were largely attended by workers of government and private organizations. Tributes were paid to those who laid down their lives in their struggle for the rights of labourers in Chicago in 1886.
