Workers Resistance

Category: Pakistan

  • People suffer as revenue staff continues strike

    MARDAN/NOWSHERA, June 19: The ongoing strike of revenue department employees has created great difficulties for people, particularly students in obtaining domicile certificates for admission to colleges after passing matriculation.

    In Mardan, students and their parents told Dawn on June 18 that they faced difficulties in getting domicile certificates as it was mandatory for them (students) to take admission in colleges after passing matriculation. They lamented that they were forced to shuttle between the district courts and offices of patwaries, girdawars and other relevant revenue officials in scorching heat.

    Parents demanded of the government to make alternative arrangements so they could get domiciles without any hassle. The revenue staff, including patwaris and girdawars, is on a strike for seeking service structure. In Nowshera, the Anjuman-i-Patwarian wa Qanoongoyan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, vowed to continue strike till the government accepted their demands for promotion of patwaris to grade 14, girdawars to 15, naib tehsildar to 17, and increase in their allowances. This was stated by the association’s provincial president Mohammad Khan Swati while talking to mediapersons after a meeting at Pabbi on June 18.

    Revenue officers from Hazara, Malakand, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Bannu, and DI Khan divisions and the association’s general secretary, Kashif Khueshgi, were in attendance.

    Mr Swati said that they would continue fight for their rights. He said that the government had adopted step motherly attitude towards them. “Now we are out to fight for the rights of employees and no one can stop us from our genuine struggle,” he said.

    Published by Daily Dawn on June 19, 2014

  • 28 bonded labourers set free

    MIRPURKHAS, June 18: The Mipurkhas district and sessions court on June 17 set free 28 peasants, allegedly forced into bonded labour, after recording their statements.

    The peasants, including women and children, were recovered in a raid conducted by the Old Mirpur police on the farmlands owned by Anwer Marri and Jhando Marri.

    The raid was ordered by the court on an application filed by a peasant, Rewo Kolhi, who stated that his 28 relatives had been forced into bonded labour by the landowners.

    In his application, he stated that they had been kept in illegal confinement on the farmlands falling within the remit of the Old Mirpur police station.

    Mr Kolhi claimed that his relatives were not being paid their wages and faclities as per the Tenancy Act.

    On June 16, the police carried out the raid and recovered the peasants, who were kept at the Old Mirpur police station overnight.

    On June 17 morning, they were produced in the sessions court, which recorded their statement and set them free.

    Published by Daily Dawn on June 18, 2014

  • Protesting employees reject 10pc pay raise

    TIMERGARA, June 18: The government employees took to streets here on June 17 to reject the 10 per cent raise in their salaries, announced by the government in the annual budget.

    The protest was organised by local chapter of All Employees Coordination Council (AECC). The protesters demanded of the government to increase their salaries according to the price hike.

    The protesters, majority of them teachers, took out a rally from Balambat and marched on the road. Carrying banners and placards, they chanted slogans against the federal and provincial governments.

    The protesting employees gathered outside press club where they were addressed by AECC provincial chairman Syed Mohammad Shah, Abdul Khaliq, Mohammad Sadiq Jan, Mohammad Shaeer Tajak, Mohammad Salim, Zahid Khan, Wazir Mohammad, Haji Bahadar Syed and Zahir Shah.

    The speakers said that government employees were satisfied with the 10 per cent raise in their salaries. They said that keeping in view hike in prices of daily use items, raise in their salaries was not enough.

    They said that government made a fun of employees by increasing their salaries just by 10 per cent. The salaries of ministers and lawmakers were increase by 200 per cent, they added.

    They demanded of the government to increase their salaries according to price hike and abolish tax on salaries. They threatened to lock the government offices and educational institutions if their demand was not met.

    Published by Daily Dawn on June 18, 2014

  • Auqaf workers for regularisation

    June 18: Around 250 contract employees of Punjab Auqaf Department have appealed to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Auqaf secretary to regularise them instead of recruiting new employees. Iffatullah, chairman Tanzeem-ul-Jihad, and Qazi Zaman Abbasi in an appeal to the CM have said around 250 employees working on daily wages are facing risk of losing jobs as the Auqaf Department has given an advertisement for new recruitments. They said instead of recruiting new employees, the department should adopt a procedure to regularise them. They said these employees had been serving in the department for years and now they deserved permanent jobs.

    Published by Daily The News on June 18, 2014

  • DHQ Hospital employees observe strike

    DHQ Hospital employees observe strike

    FAISALABAD, June 18: Employees of the DHQ Hospital on June 17 observed complete strike against non-payment of salaries to contract staffers and sacking of 59 employees for possessing fake degrees.

    The DHQ Hospital Employees Union closed all wards except emergency to register their protest. The employees also staged a sit-in outside the hospital. They demanded payment of salaries to the contract employees. Speaking on the occasion, the union leaders warned of strike for an indefinite period if their demands were not accepted in a week. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) Faisalabad chapter protested against the appointment of bureaucrat Dr Ajmal as the Punjab Healthcare Commission chief executive officer and demanded reconstitution of the Punjab Healthcare Commission. Addressing a meeting, PMA general secretary Dr Irfan Ali said that there was no post of chief operating officer in the Punjab Healthcare Commission and regretted that the members of the Healthcare Commission Technical Advisory Committee were also bureaucrats. He said that the PMA would continue its protest till the reconstitution of the Punjab Healthcare Commission and demanded Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and the provincial health minister to intervene and issue early orders to reconstitute the Punjab Healthcare Commission.

    Published by Daily The News on June 18, 2014

  • Pakistani Police Open Fire on PAT Activists Killing 7, injuring 80

    Yesterday at 2.30 am, police from Lahore City raided secretariat office of Pakistani politician, former law professor and Sufi Islamic scholar Dr. Tahir Ul Qadri. Dr. Tahir is the founder of Pakistan Awami Tehreek-PAT (Pakistan People’s Movement)and currently resides in Canada. Dr. Tahir has an anti-government stance and just days ago announced plans to return to Pakistan on June

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    The post Pakistani Police Open Fire on PAT Activists Killing 7, injuring 80 appeared first on revolution-news.com.

  • Labourer loses life

    TAXILA, June 17: Another labourer has fallen victim to poor safety measures at Margalla stone crushing plants in Taxila.

    Adil Shahzad, 32, died after getting trapped in a stone crushing plant and receiving critical injuries.

    Published by Daily Dawn on June 17, 2014

  • Pakistan : Red Salute to Hashtnagar – Song of another World

    Pakistan : Red Salute to Hashtnagar – Song of another World

    Hashtnagar – a song of another world by ammaraziz1

    Hashtnagar, being a society that has achieved social and cultural liberation through class struggle, gives a new ray of hope to the Lost Left in Pakistan, the left that has started disowning the ideological roots of Marxism-Leninism after the obliteration of the Socialist Bloc in the world

    Democracy and Class Struggle might have some

  • Media Freedoms, Coercive regimes and Blasphemy-mania: M. Amer Morgahi

    Guest post by M. AMER MORGAHI [What the corporate interests have done to the Indian media the military is doing in Pakistan. In the continuing face-off, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has suspended Geo TV’s license for fifteen days and imposed a fine of $ 104, 000 on it. See report here] Media […]

  • Farzina Parveen, Pakistani woman murdered by relatives.

    Farzana Parveen

    Another victim in the war on women.

    By Sean O’Torrain

    Farzina  Parveen, a 25 year old pregnant woman has been stoned to death in Lahore, Pakistan by her relatives. Her “crime” –  having married the man she wanted to. Then we find out that this man himself had earlier murdered his first wife to be with Ms. Parveen. He had been able to get his release from his sentence for strangling his first wife by using what is known under Islamic law as “diyat”. This allows the family of the victim to forgive the murderer or to accept payment for the murder of their family member and in this way the murderer gets off. This is horrific. It is part of the war against women that is taking place worldwide. “Diyat” has similarities to so-called “canon law” in the Catholic church where that church claims that “canon law” which it makes up itself, allows it to makes its own decisions about its own full-time organizers (priest,bishops, cardinals,popes etc) and keep them out of the hands of the legal system.

    Is not only the backward tribal and religious elements of Islam which use “diyat.”When it suits it the US government uses it also. In 2011 the US government used it to obtain the release of Raymond Davis, a CIA mercenary and killer who had shot two Pakistanis. To set the “diyat” process in motion in this case and set the CIA killer free, $2.34 million was paid in compensation and Davis was flown out of Pakistan in hours. The US government also paid $100,000 to the family of a third man who was killed y CIA officials who ran him down with their jeep as they rushed to Davis’ aid. The US government bails out its paid killers. It is prepared to use the most backward of anti-woman laws to protect its mercenaries. This includes “diyat,”which was used to justify the stoning to death of Ms Parveen.

    The US government sends its troops abroad to fight for the interest of the US corporations. The people who make these decisions are the Bushes, the Obamas, the Cheyney’s, the owners and directors of the major US corporations. These people are war criminals. In order to keep the armed forces they send abroad intact, they have to protect them from repercussions for their actions as much as possible. As we see in this case they are even prepared to go as far as using “diyat” which allows for the murdering of women to achieve this end.

    India’s Women in Pink, self defense forces

    I am writing this post in the USA. This issues has to be raised here and internationally. There are hundreds of thousands of Pakistani and Indian businesses and religious institutions in this country. This issue must be taken up with these businesses. Their places of business can be picketed. US corporations and the US government must get the same treatment. A fight has to be taken up against the mass rapes and murders of women. The example of the Women in Pink in India should be followed. They have organized themselves with clubs and defend themselves against rapists and murderers. They are up to 100,000 strong. Take action in our own areas and contact all the women’s groups around the world such as the Women in Pink to let them see they are not alone.