ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Former prime minister and Chairperson of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Benazir Bhutto has said October 26 is being observed as Black Day by the working classes throughout the country.

It was on this day two years ago when the military rulers imposed the anti-labour IRO 2002 and deprived the workers of their rights guaranteed under the Constitution and the international conventions and standards.

In a message to People's Labour Bureau Karachi, she said, "it has deprived the labour of the benefits under the scheme of Employees Old-Age Benefits, a scheme launched in 1976 by the first PPP government under IRO 1969. It restricts the labour union activities as guaranteed not only under the EOBI scheme but also in a full bench judgment of the Supreme Court. Its promulgation soon after the general elections also showed the military rulers disrespect to the elected parliament."

Expressing party's resolve to stand with the working class, she said, "the party would not abandon the labour, the peasants, the government servants and the wage earners in their struggle for emancipation and freeing themselves from the shackles of exploitation. Having always derived its strength from the working classes nothing could deter the PPP from standing shoulder to shoulder with the workers in their fight for their rights."

Expressing her concerns over massive unemployment in the country, she said, "the party also condemns the sacking of thousands of poor people in the name of rightsizing and downsizing. It also deplores that while the serving and retired military officers are being inducted into civilian jobs in hordes at hefty perks and salaries, the poor employees in the civil departments are being thrown out of jobs and demands an end to it."