A big rally of workers here on the occasion of International Labour Day on Friday demanded to fix the minimum wages at Rs 25,000 per month, stop privatization process, ensure health and safety facilities at workplaces and provide social security to all workers.
According to details, on the appeal of National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and allied organisations, the International Labour Day was observed with a pledge to be united to eliminate all forms of capitalistic exploitation and to end the ongoing privatization in Pakistan, as well as, anti-labour policies. On the occasion, a big rally was staged that marched from the Empress Market to the Karachi Press Club (KPC). It was led by central leader of NTUF Ghani Zaman Awan, Gul Rahman, Riaz Abbasi and Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) leader Shabnam.
Speaking the rally participants, Nasir Mansoor, central deputy general secretary of NTUF, said that millions of Pakistani workers were forced to live a life worse than animals due to the anti-labour policies of the government. These policies have resulted in the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few elite families, while 60 percent Pakistani population is forced to live under the poverty line. Due to the wrong financial and industrial policies of the rulers, the rights and privileges given to the workers under the laws of land are being snatched. This could be observed from stoppage of the production process, illegally, in many industries of the country.
Gul Rehman, speaking on the occasion, said that the government on the behest of international lending institutions had handed the national resources as well as industries of strategic importance to alien traders and investors; resultantly, millions of families have been pushed to the quagmire of joblessness and poverty. He said under many accords that were inked without informing the nation, the state subsidies on basic needs of life including food, water, electricity, gas, education, public transport and healthcare had been silently withdrawn, increasing burden on common worker.
Riaz Abbasi said the rulers had hatched a conspiracy to divide workers on reactionary, linguistic and ethnic lines for sabotaging the growing unrest of workers. He said the whole country was made a grazing ground of external elements. “People have got nothing but blood, fire and social destruction. Now it has been proved beyond any doubt that all political parties are toeing this anti-worker agenda, and despite establishment of elected governments in the country, there is no betterment in the lot of workers and nor there is any such chance in future.”
Other speakers said it was ripe time that the working class, key to the national production process, should organise it politically and end this system based on injustice and eliminate all forms of the exploitation of one person at the hand of other.
In the end, the rally participants paid rich tributes to Comrade Sobho Giyanchandani and Sabeen Mahmud. They expressed solidarity with the bereaved families of Peshawar heavy rains and Nepal earthquake.
They demanded that minimum wages should be fixed at Rs 25,000 per month. All workers should be issued appointment letters. Health and safety facilities at workplaces should be ensured. Labour inspection of factories should be revived. All workers should be registered with social security and old age benefit institutions. The right of making labour unions should be given in all organisations including Karachi shipyard.
“The privatization policy should be ended. All forms on contract labour including the third party system should be ended. Temporary and contract employees of all government, public and private sector should be regularised. Eight-hour working day should be ensured. All labour and human rights pledged under GSP+ should be implemented. Minimum pension should not be less than the minimum wages, and notification of government-fixed minimum wages at Rs 6,000 per month should be issued. Solid steps be taken for accepting the rights of heirs to make their unions and CBAs. Steps be taken to implement labour laws on all agricultural workers.
All discriminatory laws against women should be abolished and their ownership right on land should be accepted. Home-based workers should be accepted as workers under labour law and thus provided with all facilities. The government of Sindh should announce the home-based workers policy immediately and implement on it. The government should rectify ILO Convention C177 as soon as possible. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Malik Riaz of Bahria Foundation should ensure payment of compensation as announced for the affectees of Ali Enterprises factory fire tragedy. The killers of Sabeen Mahmud should be arrested.”
Labour leaders Allah Warraya Lassi, Bashir Ahmed Mehmoodani, Imran Ali, Muhammad Suhail and others were also present.