KARACHI, April 30: Various rallies taken out in the metropolis on Monday by the employees of government and private organisations, including the newspapers, condemned the government’s anti-labour policies, privatisation of state-owned organisations and demanded implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award for the newspapers’ employees.
Under the aegis of All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation, Karachi chapter, a procession was taken out from the Jang building to Karachi Press Club. The participants raised slogans for solution to their problems and condemned the termination of employees from different newspapers.
The newspapers employees were joined by the workers of Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation Pakistan, PC workers, Trade Union Rights Company Pakistan and members of Karachi Bar Association. APNEC Central President Shafiuddin Ashraf, Chairman Mohammad Zahir Ansari, Habibuddin Junaidi, Akhtar Hussain Advocate and Mohammad Atiq Qureshi Advocate addressed the rally.
In some unanimously approved resolutions, the employees urged the government to link advertisements with the implementation of the 7th Wage Board Award and labour laws. It also demanded the constitution of the 8th Wage Board for the employees of the newspapers. The rally also urged the All Pakistan Newspapers Society to restore all public holidays, including May Day, in the newspapers offices.
In another rally, organised under the aegis of Muttahida Labour Federation, workers of various labour organisations gathered at Merewether Tower. The participants marched on the I.I Chaundrigar Road, Sharah-i-Liaquat and reached the Regal Chowk via Burnes Road in four hours. The rally, led by President Muttahida Labour Federation Nabi Ahmed, was addressed by President Pakistan Railway Workers Federation Manzoor Razi, President National Labour Federation Rafiq Ahmed, Chairman Anti-Privatisation Forum Hafif Alvi and other labour leaders.
In yet another rally held at the Regal Chowk, Jamaat-i-Islami Karachi chief Dr Mairajul Huda Siddiqui, Nabi Ahmed, Hafif Alvi, Rafiq Ahmed, Manzoor Razi, Farid Awan, Ms Shehla, Raheel Iqbal, Azhar Jamil, Jalil Khan, Noor Mohammad, Saeed Khan, Ahsan Ejaz and others condemned the government for privatising the state-owned organisations including Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, Karachi, Electric Supply Corporation and Habib Bank.
They deplored that the employees were being sacked on the name of privatisation, retrenchment and restructuring. They also opposed the government’s plan to privatise Pakistan State Oil. They said rest of three companies were already in private hands and the privatisation of PSO would cause price hike, unemployment and increase in the transport fares. As a result, they said, the condition of the poor would worsen further.
They said the employees were not given the appointment letters and even on retirement they could not prove to have even worked with the organisation. They said despite the tall claims of strengthening democracy the rulers had banned labour organisations and increased the duty hours. They said the government claiming to guard women rights had given a free hand to industrialists to exploit women workers by increasing their duty hours and deny them the transportation facilities even at night.
They said the state-owned organisations were privatised at throwaway prices. To raise their voice on the issue, they said a nation-wide convention of labourers would be convened very soon.
The participants unanimously approved a resolution demanding reinstatement of all the sacked employees. They asked all labours organizations to unite for the achievement of their rights. The participants also expressed their full support to the lawyers’ campaign for independence of judiciary and demanded of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to probe into the affairs of the privatised institutions.
The Pearl Continental Hotel Karachi Workers Solidarity Committee organised a rally from Karachi Press Club to PIDC building. The participants demanded that all the sacked employees be reinstated and the trade unions be allowed to work so that it could protect the rights of the employees.