January 30, 2006	Monday	Zilhaj 29, 1426

KARACHI, Jan 29: Speakers at a condolence meeting on Sunday for the prominent labour leader S. P. Lodhi urged workers to forge unity in their ranks and follow in his footsteps to carry forward his mission of safeguarding rights of working class.

The meeting was organized by All-Pakistan Trade Unions Organization (APTUO) at the Karachi Press Club.

Speaking on the occasion, Khursheed Ahmad, Maula Bakhsh Khaskheli, Habibuddin Junaidi, Bashir Ahmad, Manzoor Razi, Sarwar Chandio, Imdad Qazi, Ayub Qureshi, Shafiuddin Ashraf, Liaquat Sahi, Rafiq Awan, Saeed Ghani, Aziz Memon and others paid tributes to the late Lodhi and highlighted his services to workers in the country.

They demanded repeal of all anti-labour laws and lifting of the ban on trade union activities in all organizations.

The meeting was attended by a large number of workers and the late labour leader’s son, Nadeem Lodhi.

The speakers said that the late Lodhi continued his struggle for the rights and collective benefit of workers throughout his life. Many a times, they pointed out, he was sent behind the bars for raising the issue of workers’ rights. However, he never compromised on principles at any point during his long struggle.

S. P. Lodhi remained in the forefront during the workers’ struggle for the abolition of the anti-worker Industrial Relations Ordinance-2002 and other such draconian laws, as well as in various movements against imperialism and feudal system, they noted.

The speakers demanded that all anti-worker laws, particularly the IRO-2002, be abolished.

They demanded that the privatization policy be revoked immediately and all those organizations that have been privatized be taken back under the government’s control. They also demanded that the rights of the workers be restored and trade union activities be allowed in all the organizations.

They further demanded that all the workers retrenched on different pretexts, like downsizing, rightsizing, etc., be reinstated immediately.

Messages from the leader of the opposition in Senate, Raza Rabbani, senior politician Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Minhaj Barna and others were also read out at the meeting.