LAHORE, Oct 6: The Pakistan Workers Confederation and affiliated trade unions observed a country-wide protest day on Thursday to condemn the government policy of fortnighly oil price revision and its failure to control the prices of essential commodities.

The confederation and its affiliated trade unions held meetings and rallies in all big cities to press for the review of government policies resulting in continuous increase in cost of living instead of stablization of prices.

The protest rally in the city was held on Nisbet Road. The workers gathered in front of Bakhtiar Labour Hall and marched to Lakshmi Chowk carrying banners and placards and raising slogans against the increasing inflation and unemployment.

Addressing the workers at Lakshmi Chowk, PWC Secretary-General Khurshid Ahmed said that the policy of fortnighly revision had destabilized the economy and made survival a problem for the people with limited income who could not increase their income to cope with the raise in cost of living resulting from oil price revisions.

He said the policy of revisions and giving a free hand to traders to charge consumers at will had made the government unpopular and resentment against it was increasing among the people which might result in a law and order situation in case remedial steps were not taken for solving problems like inflation and unemployment.

Lawyers: Lawyers across the country are set to stage a protest on Friday against the recent increase in POL prices.

The call to observe the protest day was issued by the Pakistan Bar Council, and the Punjab Bar Council has endorsed the announcement.

The PBC has called upon bar councils and bar associations throughout the country to hold protest meetings and adopt resolutions to condemn the POL price hike which, it says, has added to economic miseries of the people.