LAHORE – In a protest against recent steps taken by the government for privatization and implementation of National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), trade unions of the country collected at Alhamra on Tuesday. Representatives from various organizations spoke of various grievances that workers had.
NIRC is expected to be implemented from June 30, 2011, after which trade unions will not be recognized at a national level, instead only at a provincial level. According to the All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF), increasing threats of privatization along with constant waves of inflation were intolerable.
“Workers face all kinds of issues in every type of organization, especially private companies,” said the speakers. “But the fact that labour laws are not being implemented is something that is unbearable, and the blame for this lack of implementation falls on the government.”
Pakistan Railways (PR) trade union started their protest from the Railway Headquarters, from where they chanted slogans, and rallied all the way to the Al Hamra Arts Council. Working Women’s Organization, WAPDA employees and trade union of lawyers was also present.
Manzoor Ahmed Razi, who has been toiling for workers’ rights since the past 30 years, said that it was unfortunate that PPP, which had always shouted out for workers’ rights, did not bother to implement any kind of protective laws for them. Regarding PR’s privatization, he said Benazir Bhutto had held a meeting where Chaudhry Manzoor had drafted a resolution in the presence of Raza Rabbani. He said it had been decided and promised by BB on PPP’s behalf that PR will not be privatized, however today the draft has ‘disappeared into thin air’, and instead of trying to solve the issues of the railway sector, the government was selling it to private stakeholders.
“The railway is a very profitable organization. Passenger tickets along with cargo transportation can gain a lot of revenue. But it seems the government is just not interested in improving its status.
There is rampant corruption in this sector, and till now, workers’ rights have always been trampled upon,” said Razi, earlier talking to Pakistan Today. Razi also said that a lot of PR’s land had been encroached upon and several of the benefits and services which the employees were to receive are nowhere to be seen.
“On top of it all, NIRC, if implemented will cause a lot of trouble for the workers at a national level,” he said.
Other speakers at the protest were Working Women’s Organization President Rubina Jameel, South Asia Partnership Deputy Director Irfan Mufti, Rashid Lodhi and Malik Masood from the lawyers’ unions, Pakistan Workers’ Federation General Secretary Khurshi Ahmed.
NIRC will cause a lot of trouble for workers at a national level. Pakistan Railways is a profitable organization. It seems government is not interested in improving its status. There is rampant corruption in this sector, and till now, workers’ rights have always been trampled upon
