Workers Resistance

Author: lwp

  • Irrigation worker electrocuted

    HYDERABAD, Aug 15: An employee of the irrigation department of Phulelli division Hyderabad was electrocuted on Aug 14 at the Left-Bank Barrage Colony Hyderabad.

    Residents of the colony and employees carried the body to the local press club and held a protest demonstration there against the irrigation authorities.

    They said 27-year-old Mohammad Arif, who had been appointed in the the department 12 years ago as watchman, had been forced to work as electrician by the authorities concerned.

    Mr Arif climbed up an electric pole to repair some fault at the colony on Aug 14 morning when he received a power shock. He was taken to the Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) Hyderabad where he was pronounced dead.

    Published by Daily Dawn on Aug 15, 2014

  • Municipal workers end three-week strike

    LAKKI MARWAT, July 24: The local municipal workers have ended their three weeks long strike and resumed duty after the government assured them of salary payment before Eidul Fitr.

    Salary has not been paid to protesters for three months prompting them to suspend provision of municipal services in Lakki city.

    The strike has led to water shortage, piling up of garbage and overflowing of sewers stressing out the people in the hot and humid weather and during the fasting month of Ramazan.

    During a visit to the city for distribution of relief goods to the internally displaced persons lately, provincial local government minister Inayatullah Khan had told municipal workers that they would be paid salary before Eidul Fitr.

    However, the workers continued with the strike and protests.

    Taking note of the growing public complaints about lack of cleanliness and water shortage, deputy commissioner Zafar Ali ordered the arrest of two office-bearers of the municipal workers union, including Haji Anwar Kamal and Khursheed Alam Khan, under Section 3 of the Maintenance Public Order.However, the order was withdrawn when local notables assured the administration that municipal workers wound end strike and restore municipal services without delay.

    When contacted, Haji Anwar Kamal said the union had called off the strike after the minister promised payment of salary to municipal workers before Eidul Fitr. “We’ve directed all municipal workers to resume duty forthwith. Provision of water supply and sanitation services to the people has already been resumed,” he said.

    Published by Daily Dawn on July 24, 2014

  • Jacobabad Sepco workers in tool down strike

    SUKKUR, July 10: Employees of the Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) observed tool down strike and held a sit-in outside the SEPCO office in Jacobabad on July 9 in protest against suspension of services of a colleague.

    The call for the protest was given by the Jacobabad chapter of the All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Labour Union.

    As the protest went on, power supply to the town was shut completely and remained suspended for five hours, severely affecting business activities in bazaars and trade areas and hampering service of civic amenities.

    An office bearer of the union, however, clarified the union had no hand in shutting power but it had to be suspended after a fault developed in the main trolley of grid station.

    Published by Daily Dawn on July 10, 2014

  • Hazardous conditions: ‘There were no safety measures at factory where four workers died’

    MULTAN, July 9th: Vehari District Coordination Officer (DCO) Jawad Akram on July 8 submitted his report of on the death of four labourers to the chief minister.

    The investigation was supervised by the home secretary and MNA Hamza Shahbaz Sharif. The report said the four men, who died on July 6, had been hired late in June by a relative, who was a contractor for Viga Plastic Pipes, as daily wage workers in Lahore. Police said the men, of Mitro in sub-district Mailsi, fell sick last week and were referred to Nishtar Medical Hospital in Multan. They said three of them passed away on Sunday and the fourth died on Monday.

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  • Three victims of factory gas leakage buried

    VEHARI, July 8: The three labourers who had fallen sick while working at a pipe factory in Lahore about a week ago, allegedly because of leakage of some poisonous gas there and later died were buried at their native villages in the district late on July 6.

    According to Mitro police, Imran and Abid of Chak 125-WB and Ramzan of Muza Mohammad Shah had been working at Vega Pipe Factory, Lahore, for the last one month.

    Last Monday, they fell unconscious while working at the factory. The factory owner got them admitted to a private clinic in Lahore on July 4. Later, as their condition deteriorated, he shifted them to their native places and promised their families he would bear all the treatment cost.

    On July 5, Ramzan and Abid died while Imran expired on July 6 at Nishter Hospital, Multan.

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  • Sanitary workers create massive traffic mess

    Karachi, July 8: Sanitary workers ironically ended up making a mammoth traffic mess in the downtown areas of the city as well as some major linking thoroughfares on July 7 while staging a protest against non-payment of their salaries at the Arts Council roundabout.

    The agitated employees of the district municipal corporation South Lyari zone were complaining that they had not been paid salaries for the last two months.

    Hundreds of commuters were stranded in traffic jams on the roads and streets of Saddar and the iftar rush in the evening compounded their woes.

    The thoroughfares hit with the traffic chaos included II Chundrigar Road, MA Jinnah Road, Abdullah Haroon Road, Dr Ziauddin Road, Club Road, MR Kayani Road and Zaibunnisa Street. Connecting roads including Sharea Faisal and Sharea Quaideen were also affected.

    The worst congestion was witnessed at the Arts Council roundabout where the protest was taking place. The traffic police and wardens appeared helpless in bringing the situation under control.

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  • Shocking negligence: Workers protest against labourer’s death

    FAISALABAD, July 8th: Power loom workers staged a demonstration on July 7 after a labourer died from electric shocks at a factory there.

    Afzal Ali had worked at a power loom at Sadhar, located in the Thikriwala area.

    After the worker’s death, the demonstrators gathered at Sadhar Bypass Chowk and blocked the road for all kinds of traffic. They placed the body on the road to block the traffic.

    Shafiq Anwar, one of the protesters, said the deceased, Afzal Ali, a father of four children, had been a resident of chak 67-JB.

    “He was working at the power loom factory where when he touched a short-circuited machine,” Anwar said.

    Anwar said the accident was a result of the negligence of the factor owner, who had not installed safety devices.

    “All factory owners are legally bound to install circuit breakers to stop such incidents from occurring, but some of them try to avoid the expense,” Anwar said.

    The protesters chanted slogans against the factory owner and held him responsible for the worker’s death.

    A police contingent, headed by a DSP, visited the area and negotiated with the protesters. The protesters dispersed after they were assured that legal action would be taken against the factory administration.

    Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.

  • Daily-wage teachers paid salaries after five months

    ISLAMABAD, July 1: The Capital Administration and Development Division (CADD) on June 30 released the salaries of 1,358 daily-wage teachers stuck up for five months.

    It is for the first time that Rs44 million have been paid to the teachers through the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR). Previously, the salaries of the daily wage teachers were paid from the monthly student fund.

    However, on November 20, 2013, in pursuance of Article 25-A (which guarantees free education for every child) CADD abolished all kinds of fees, charges, student funds and expenses.

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  • Two coal miners die in Jhimpir

    THATTA, July 1: Two miners were killed in a coal mine which caved in accidentally on June30 at the mining zone of Yaqoob Brohi village near Jhimpir, locals and officials said.

    They said that around two dozen workers were busy digging coal when a wall of the mine collapsed and the miners got trapped inside.

    The manager of the Lucky coal mine, Nazar Jakhro, told Dawn that two miners — Khamoon Khaskheli and Khamiso Khaskheli — died on the spot.

    However, the others managed to come out of the mine. Two more workers — Bahadur Jakhro and Manzoor Khaskheli — suffered serious injuries when the trapped workers ran for safety. They were dragged out of the mine in a critical condition and were rushed to a Hyderabad hospital, he added.

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  • Khairpur Police torture, arrest 18 protesting teachers

    SUKKUR, June 30: The Khairpur Police arrested, after a baton charge, at least 18 teachers who had passed the NTS test in front of the CM’s House, Khairpur, as they protested against the non issuance of their appointment orders on June 28.

    Reports said the protesters marched through the streets of Khairpur and reached the CM House to stage a sit-in, however, when they reached there the Khairpur Police baton charged them, injuring many teachers while the police sent some 18 teachers behind the bars.

    The victims said they wanted to stage a sit-in in a peaceful manner to press for their demands but the police, violating their fundamental rights, beat and sent them to the lock-up. They said they had passed the NTS test and were declared eligible for the post of teacher but the Education Department despite the issuance of their orders was annoying them in the pretext of verifying their documents. They said the NTS passed eligible teachers in other districts had received their appointment letters but in the city of the CM the officials denied issuing their appointment letters and said the CM would personally distribute them among the teachers. The victims demanded for the immediate release of their colleagues and appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take a suo moto notice of the police torture and violence.

    Published by Daily The News on June 29, 2014