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Labour Party Pakistan starts Inkaar Tehreek (No
Movement)
People of Lahore not to pay the new bus fares
Despite heavy
raining, LPP activists gathered in front of a private bus stand
at Railway Station Lahore area to protest the recent raise in
Lahore bus fares. They appealed to the people of Lahore not to
pay the revised bus fares. They demanded an immediate withdrawal
of the increased oil prices. Many travelers joined the very live
demonstration and agreed with the demand....
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Top judges anti workers attitude: Now face the music of
workers anger on 1st March
Labour Party Pakistan to organize a day of protest
By: Farooq Tariq
There are growing trends among the higher courts of
Pakistan to show their anti workers anger whenever there
is a case being heard on the issue of strikes,
demonstrations, rallies and other means of peaceful
protests. There is a different attitude of the higher
courts about the protests of lawyers and other sections
of the middle classes. There is a very clear
discriminatory attitude towards working class struggle
in Pakistan by the top judges.
Top judges are happy to take individual cases of
violation of human rights and we are happy with that,
however, whenever there is a collective action by a
section for the working class in Pakistan, the attitude
seems always to favour of the bosses. It has been shown
in declaring the workers strikes as illegal, rejecting
the bail application of the arrested workers during
strikes, not taking notices of gross violations of
labour laws, no implementation of minimum wages, no
remedies for those workers losing jobs in violation of
labour laws and so on.
Labour Party Pakistan has decided to organize a day of
action for workers right to protest and against the top
judges’ discriminatory attitude towards the struggle of
the working class. On Tuesday 1st March, thousands of
workers across Pakistan will organize rallies,
demonstrations and strikes to assert their rights of
organizing peaceful means of struggle.
There will be complete strike of power looms and textile
workers in Faisalabad, Jhang, Gojra, Toba Tek Singh and
Kamalia. Hundreds of textile factories and power looms
factories will be shut down during this strike. In
Faisalabad, thousands of workers will come to Ghanta
Ghar, the center of Faisalabad and will organize a sit
in. Over 250,000 workers will take part in strikes and
rallies on the day in Fiaslabad division.
Four workers leaders of Faisalabad power looms, Fazal
Ilahi, Akbar Kamboh, Rana Riaz and Babar Randhawa are
behind bar since 21st July 2010. They were arrested
during a power looms workers strike for wage increase
and were framed under anti terrorist laws. Despite all
the assurances by the police and local administrations
during several protest rallies to remove the anti
terrorist charges against them, they are still facing
the terrorist charges and are behind bar. Their bail
application was rejected last week by the reactionary
chief justice of Lahore High Court without looking at
the file of the case.
We have decided enough is enough; now face the music of
Pakistani working class on 1st March across Pakistan.
Over 600 Pakistan Telecommunication (PTCL) workers have
been suspended or removed from their jobs by the
administration of the privatized PTCL. Their crime: to
organize protest for wage increase. Most of the 600
workers of PTCL are the leaders of different unions of
PTCL and there is a whole sale attack on the unions in
PTCL. The top judges are quite on the issue and no
action taken by the courts or even by the PPP government
about the fate of these very senior leaders of the trade
union movement.
They are now organized in a united front of all the PTCL
unions and will start their mass campaign for the
reinstatement from 23th February by erecting a protest
camp in Islamabad and then from 1st of March will join
the national campaign for workers rights.
Despite the stay order of the National Industrial
Relation Commission (NIRC), 17 union leaders have been
kicked out of their jobs when they formed a union.
Nishat textile Mills is owned by the richest man of
Pakistan Mian Mansha, thanks to the privatization of MCB
Bank under Nawaz government that Mian Mansha has become
the richest man and has become a very anti worker boss.
The union in MCB was thrown out and now all the textile
factories of Mian Mansha are without any union.
Most of the union members of The Inter Wood furniture
factory lost their job after they formed the first ever
union in Lahore factory of Inter Wood. It is known to
labour deprtment of Punjab that Mian Nawaz Sharif family
took special interest in this case to favor the boss who
is a close friend of the family. No action was taken by
any court of Pakistan for this gross violation of human
rights of the labour for their constitutional right of
forming associations.
New Khan Metro Bus Service is owned by A leader of
Muslim League ( the boss changes the Muslim League
frequently, now a leader of PMLN and earlier was in PMLQ).
The first ever union in the company was suppressed by
the boss by terminating the jobs of the union leaders.
The case in in labour courts for over two years and no
grievances of the union is been addressed by the courts.
No labour department officer can enter any industrial
units in Punjab. This was the order of Pervaiz Ilahi in
2003 (the Punjab chief minister under Musharaf), a
complete unity is shown by Mian Shahbaz Sharif on this
issue with him, this ban is still intact despite a very
clear order of Lahore High Court and courts seems
impotents after they have decided in favour of workers
to implement their order.
There are at least 14 other cases of top judges
discriminatory attitude towards the workers effort to
form new trade unions.
There will be demonstration in at least 50 cities of
Pakistan on 1st March 2011, we will issue the list of
the cities and place and timing of these demonstrations
and rallies.
Our demands,
· Release the four textile workers facing terrorist
charges immediately
· Reinstate all PTCL suspended workers with immediate
effect
· The courts must take action against those bosses
violating labour laws
· Lift labour inspection from the factories
· A guarantee of implementation of Rupees 7000 wages for
all unskilled workers according to the notification of
the government all over Pakistan and just in Islamabad ,
(Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudry issued an order of
implementing this in Islamabad while taking a sue moto
notice of a security guard)
· Respect workers right to strike, organize unions and
demand a respectable working condition, environment and
wages for all workers
· Increase the minimum wages to Rupees 15000 monthly for
all workers
We expect all friends and supporters of workers to
participate in these rallies. We also call on other
political parties and trade unions to endorse this call
of action.
We need your support, moral, financial and physical
1. Please participate in the rallies
2. Please endorse the call of the action day,
(Individual and organizational, both welcome)
3. Please send a donation for this day of action
4. Please send a message of solidarity to be printed and
read at the rallies in major cities of Pakistan |
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