LAHORE, Aug 12: Workers in all the cities of the country observed a protest day on Monday on the call of the Pakistan Workers Confederation to express resentment against the fast growing unemployment, unchecked inflation and failure of the government to enforce labour laws.

Demonstrations and protest meetings were held by the workers in Peshawer, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, Gujranwala, Hyderabad, Quetta, Karachi and other cities to draw the attention of the government towards growing unrest among the working class due to fast increase in the cost of living without any corresponding revision of pay and allowances and the fast spreading tendency among the employers to recruit contract or temporary employees against the jobs of permanent nature in violation of the labour laws.

The workers staged a demonstration in front of the Bakhtiar Labour Hall with banners and placards demanding abolition of the Removal from Service Order, 2000; regularization of temporary and contract employees hired for jobs of permanent nature; reduction in oil, gas and electricity rates; restoration of move-over and selection grade facilities; restoration of trade union rights and resumption of work in 6,000 factories lying closed.

Speaking at a joint meeting of industrial workers and government employees at the Labour Hall after the demonstration, PWC Secretary-General and International Labour Organization Governing Body Member Khurshid Ahmed said that the workers had been compelled to observe the protest day due to the failure of the government to enforce its own labour laws, growing highhandedness of the employers to deny fair wages and job security to employees. Even the public sector organizations were flouting labour laws with impunity to curb the trade union activities. Twenty two lakh government employees had been deprived of the right to approach the labour courts for the redressal of their grievances.

He said that the trade unions could not be silent spectators to the pathetic plight of the workers for long and had decided to launch a movement for the protection of their rights beginning with the observance of a countrywide protest day. He said that the government should realise its duty towards the workers and take steps for solving their problems and accepting their demands to end unrest among their rank and file.

He said that the political parties contesting the general elections should also guarantee the rights of the workers in their manifestoes.

PWC Chairman Muhammad Yaqub demanded implementation of the recommendations of the tripartite labour conference and bringing of the labour laws in conformity with the ILO Conventions ratified by the government. He said that the minimum wage should be fixed on a par with the price of 10 grams of gold.

Punjab PWC President Gulzar Chaudhry said that restriction on collective bargaining rights of PIA, Railways Open Line, banks, telecommunications and hospitals employees should be lifted and inter-provincial transfers of the railways workshops union CBA president and secretary-general should be withdrawn. He demanded the reservation of seats for workers in the Senate, national and provincial assemblies.