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| May 30, 2005 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 21, 1426 |
PRM expresses solidarity with PTCL workers
ISLAMABAD, May 29: The activists of People’s Rights Movement (PRM) held a token protest in front of the PTCL Headquarters here on Sunday to express solidarity with the company workers who were up in the arms against privatization of the PTCL. The workers of PTCL and PRM activists raised slogans against the government and the international financial institutions (IFIs) and demanded that the company should not be privatized. The protest took place in the midst of a huge contingent of Rangers and police.
Speaking on the occasion, Ahmed Satti of PRM said the government’s refusal to back down from its decision to privatize the company reflected its “anti-worker” attitude. He said PTCL was one of the only three profitable state enterprises and there was no logic to privatize it, yet the ruling class was bent upon going ahead with the process.
He said till now the PTCL workers had tried their best to limit inconvenience to the subscribers but they could jam the entire communications network anytime.
He said the government’s uncompromising attitude was enhancing the chances of a total shutdown. If such an eventuality came to pass, the responsibility would lie entirely with the state, he said.
The PTCL workers said the government had refused to accept their primary demand of not going ahead with privatization. He said the government was making promises of relief but these did not address the workers demands and reflected lack of seriousness on the part of the government.
They alleged that some of the active union leaders were being harassed and intimidated into retreating from their stand. They also alleged that an intelligence agency had picked up some activists and was questioning them.
The PRM activists assured the PTCL workers of their continued support in their struggle. They said they would soon organize a roundtable in which political parties, professional groups, trade unions and citizens would be invited to win a broad-based support for their struggle.
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