Workers Resistance

Category: Pakistan

  • Freed Pakistani power loom workers greeted by thousands of workers

    As reported recently, after a long fight, the group of power loom workers that had led the major strikes in Faisalabad were freed this week. These workers had been given hundreds of years’ jail sentences under the country’s draconian anti-terror legislation. They took their first steps out of jail on the 6th of May amid thousands of cheering supporters. Most power loom factories closed on that day so that workers could support their leaders.

  • Rallies, seminars organised in Balochistan to mark Labour Day

    QUETTA, May 2: Various organisations organised rallies and seminars here on May 1 to mark the International Labour Day and pay homage to the martyrs of Chicago who sacrificed their lives for the rights of workers.

    Demonstrations were also held in other district headquarters of Balo­chistan.

    Speaking at the programmes held in Quetta, representatives of the Balochistan Labour Fed­eral, Pakistan Workers Confederation, All Pak­ist­an Labour Feder­ation and National Organi­sation of Postal Employees vowed to continue their struggle for the rights of workers.

    They said those who sacrificed their lives in Chicago on May 1, 1886, were demanding better working conditions, pay raise and protection for jobs but force was used against the peaceful protesters.

    The speakers said workers still faced such problems and whenever they raised voice for their rights governments used force against them.

    They said workers in Pakistan had been struggling for their rights for past six decades, but successive governments had always tried to suppress their movements. They alleged that governments had always tried to protect the interests of employers.

    The speakers termed International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank (WB) pro-imperialistic organisations and accused them of encouraging governments in Pakistan to make anti-labour laws.

    They said trade unions of the country would never allow the government to privatise profit-making national enterprises.

    Published by Daily Dawn on May 2, 2015

  • Workers to take to street today for gas, electricity

    LAHORE, May 1: The working class all over the world will commemorate the Labour Day on May 1 (today) by staging rallies and holding meetings to pay a homage to Chicago martyrs while workers in Pakistan will take to street primarily for electricity and gas, non-availability of which has rendered hundreds of thousands of them jobless.

    Lack of recognition on the part of the government, denial of fundamental right of freedom of association besides the law and order situation will include the other challenges the working class will be highlighting during their May Day engagements.

    Electricity and gas outages resulted in partial or complete closure of scores of industrial units, especially in the textile sector. The situation also slowed down the economic growth, increasing unemployment rate to an alarming level.

    “Trade union is the basis of democracy but it has not been given its due recognition though it has always been on the forefront in every movement,” says trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed.

    The present regime has completed two years in office but it has yet to take measures to ensure fundamental rights of workers, especially women. There should have been measures to revive tripartite labour conference, include rural or agricultural sector workers in the minimum wages mechanism and revival of independent factory inspection machinery.

    Ironically, measures have also not been taken to ensure provision of free and uniform education to each child, jobs to the youth and ‘decent’ working conditions and rational wages to the workers along with social protection against sickness, accidents, old-age, elimination of abuse of child and bonded labour in society, says Mr Ahmed.

    All Pakistan Workers Confederation President Rubina Jamil says a demonstration will be staged in front of Alhamra on The Mall on May 1 to commemorate the historic struggle of the Chicago martyrs.

    She says the government should introduce measures for social and economic uplift of women who constitute more than half of the population, by ensuring equal opportunities of education and employment, elimination of discrimination against them and enforcement of the principle of equal pay for equal work.

    Pakistan, she says, has been a signatory to 36 conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). However, the government has yet to formulate laws in conformity with the eight core ILO conventions.

    Bonded Labour Liberation Front Pakistan Secretary-General Syeda Ghulam Fatima says a massive rally will be staged outside the Dyal Singh Mansion on The Mall that will pass through Charing Cross and culminate in front of a banquet hall near Mozang Chungi where a seminar will be held.

    “Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo, National Party president, and provincial minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman will be key speakers at the seminar on “GSP Plus Status and compliance of labour standards,” she says.

    All Pakistan Trade Union Federation Information Secretary Yasir Gulzar says the workers will march from the federation office in Gulberg industrial area up to the Punjab Assembly building against “capitalism and exploitation besides for safe working conditions and dignity of work. May Day is a day to analyse the struggle of workers and trade unions for emancipation and what they gained and what they lost; to think over how to move forward against imperialist and capitalist oppression.”

    Published by Daily Dawn on May 1, 2015

  • Apca procession for better wages

    LAHORE, April 24: A large number of government employees on April 23 took out a procession from Nasser Bagh to the Civil Secretariat on the call of the All Pakistan Clerks Association (Apca) to press for their demands of better wages.

    Similar processions were held in front of the offices of all the district coordination officers across Punjab, claimed a press release.

    Apca leaders, Sultan Mujaddadi, Muhammad Afzal, Abdul Shakoor and Nadeem Chughtai, said all the roads in Lahore would be blocked on May 7 if Apca demands were not met. This would be followed by a siege of the Punjab Assembly on May 14.

    They urged the chief minister to take care of the government employees, giving them wages as per the inflation rate.

    Published by Daily Dawn on April 24, 2015

  • Wapda workers union protests privatisation plan

    PESHAWAR, April 23: The All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union April 22 staged demonstration against the proposed privatisation plan of the government and asked it to revise the decision.

    Carrying placards and banners, the protesters, led by union’s chairman Gohar Taj and provincial chairman Haji Iqbal, gathered outside the Peshawar Press Club. They chanted slogans against the government for its privatisation policy.

    The protestors condemned the recent firing on Class-IV employees during protest demonstration against provincial government outside assembly building. They said the use of tear gas and firing on the employees was condemnable, unlawful and tantamount to keeping the government employees from demanding their rights. The union leaders said the government had failed to functionalise all its national institutions.

    Published by Daily The News on April 23, 2015

  • Metro bus project: 3 labourers electrocuted

    Islamabad, Oct 29: Three labourers of the Metro bus project have received burn injuries after being electrocuted while working on the project. According to the details, three laborers of Metro bus project were electrocuted and sustained burn injuries when they were tiding the shuttering near Kulsoom Chowk, Blue Area. The injured laborers identified as Shahjahan, Badal Shah and Irfan were immediately shifted to PIMS hospital. Badal Shah was declared critical and has been shifted to the burn unit for further treatment while Shahjahan and Irfan were said to be stable.

    Published by Daily Times on Oct 29, 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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