Commercial media takes the advertisements
and black out workers news
By Farooq Tariq
(05\08\2011)
On 5th August, over 400 trade unions and
political activists came to GPO Chouck in solidarity
with the protesting Telecommunication workers. The call
was made by National Trade Union Federation.
The local administration had
banned demonstrations on the main Mall Road. For us this
was an undemocratic act of the administration, we
decided to disrespect this move.
There were over a dozen electronic media
journalists and scores of print media photographers and
reporters on the occasion. They included, Dunia,
Express, AAJ, GEO, Apna, Waqt, ARY, Samma, Kohinoor,
Royal and some others from private electronic media.
The protesters included over 200 women as
well. The protesters were sitting on the footpath facing
Mall Road. They did not disturbed the traffic. They let
the traffic passed peacefully. May be this peaceful act
was not a news for the media, or the reason the PTCL is
a major advertiser of all the newspapers, the fact is
that only Apna and Waqt showed some glimpse of the
protest.
I am sure if any religious organisation
would have mobalised that many on the main Mall Road, it
would have broad caste live by these free electronic
media.
If we would have stopped the traffic and
burned few old tyres, it would have been a news, media
in most case like violent actions, I have been
personally asked by many electronic and print media
journalists on several such occasion, "do something, a
demonstration is not a news, Stop the traffic, burn
tyres" I have always refused to do so,
The labour movement have our own
traditions of protests. we do not want individual
heroism of few but a collective action of the class. We
discourage activists who make individual efforts to be
in the picture. We want the media to show the whole
crowd and not one or two. This is not
the commercial media priority. They want sensations,
violence and individual acts of heroism.
The solidarity demonstration on Friday
was from a labour organisation, not linked to any
capitalist or feudal political party. It was for the
restoration of jobs in an institution that is a major
advertiser of most of the private newspapers
and television channels, the Etasalat, the new owner of
PTCL.
I had some contacts with daily Dawn and
they got some information from me on telephone for this
demonstration on the night, I also emailed the details
to them. I was sure that at least Daily Dawn will carry
the news. they have done many times. Daily Dawn is very
active on social issues and always give a good coverage
to our activities in Lahore particularly.
I was sure that daily dawn Lahore will
print the news. On Saturday morning, I was surprised to
see the front page advertisement of Etsalat (U Fone) on
metropolitan pages but not a single word of our news.
Here, one of the most "respected" newspaper has also
shown the same trends of all other commercial media,
"take the advertisement and do not print the news
against the advertisers".
On Saturday, a positive surprise was also
on the card. Chairman Parliamentary Human Rights
committee, Riaz Fatyana MNA came to the camp and
expressed solidarity with the workers. He assured the
workers that PCHR will take up the case and will call
the Etsalat, ministry of telecommunication and the
workers leaders to the hearing of the Committee on this
conflict. He will do his best to provide justice to the
workers demands.
The camp will continue. They will be back
on Monday. We will make sure that telecommunication
workers are not left alone. We are sending our news on
alternative media. We hope to make up the loss being
not telecasted or printed on the commercial media by
using our own media.
I call upon all the progressive forces to
use every effort to help this protest camp. Come to the
camp on Monday, send a donation, popularise the call on
the facebook, twitter or on email lists do what you can,
we can defeat commercialism.
Workers are out of jobs for one year, we
can not accept Etsalat anti workers attitude and
bursting of the trade unions inside PTCL.
We will picket PTCL headquarters if
workers not reinstated
By Farooq Tariq (05\08\2011)
Today over 400 workers turned up to show
solidarity with the protesting Pakistan
Telecommunication workers at GPO Chouck Lahore. among
them were over 200 women workers. National Trade Union
Federation had announced a Dharna today on Mall Road to
demand for the reinstatement of the PTCL terminated
workers. The Etsalat company who had bought PTCL in 2005
had terminated the services of 83 trade union leaders
who had organised a national protest in 2010 to demand a
wage increase. Instead of listening to workers, Etsalat
suspended 600 workers and eventually reinstated most of
them apart from the 83 main leaders of the PTCL trade
unions.
The PTCL workers had set up a protest
camp at GPO Chouck since 1st August 2011 to demand their
reinstatement. Today, it was a solidarity show of
the fellow trade unions. National Trade Union
Federation, progressive Youth Front, Labour Party
Pakistan, Labour Education Foundation, Women Workers
Help Line, Communist Mazdoor Kissan Party, Workers Party
Pakistan, Pakistan Trade Union Federation and others
participated in this Dharna for over two hours.
Speaking on the occasion, Farooq Tariq
spokesperson Labour Party Pakistan announced full
support to protesting workers. He said that today, we
are sitting on road side and not disturbing the traffic
but next week, we will picket the headquarters of
Pakistan telecommunication office in Lahore., We will
occupy the office to demand for workers reinstatement.
he said that with the power of the working class,we will
defeat the Dubai based Etsalat who had taken over PTCL
after privatization. over 50,000 workers have lost jobs
since Etsalat had taken over in 2005.
Yousaf Baluch chairman National Trade
Union Federation, Niaz Khan general secretary NTUF, Azra
Shad chairperson Women Workers Help Line, Irfan Choudry
president National Student Federation, Sakhi Khan vice
president Railway Workers Union CBA Workshops division,
Hasan Rana general secretary United Workers Alliance
PTCL, Rana Sarfraz, Hafiz Luttufullah of PTCL and others
spoke on the occasion and expressed solidarity with the
movement.
It was decided to continue the protest
camp.
Protest camp by telecommunication workers in Lahore
Today on Wednesday 3rd August,
the telecommunication workers of PTCL will continue
their protest camp on the second day as well. The
protest camp at GPO Chouck Mall Road Lahore, in front of
PTCL headquarters was visited by several trade unions
and political parties representatives who assured them
their solidarity and support.
Yesterdays was the first day of Ramazan
and workers observed fast but were determined to
continue their struggle even during the fast. The United
Workers Alliance PTCL is organizing this protest camp.
It was decided that the camp will continue till the
reinstatement of all the workers who lost their jobs
during the struggle for wage increase last year.
It was decided by several trade unions to
organize a day of solidarity with PTCL workers. On
Friday 5th August
at 5pm, several hundred of trade unions and political
parties’ activists will gather at the camp and show
their solidarity with the protesting workers.
The protesters are demanding for the
reinstatement of all 83 union activists and leaders of
PTCL whose services were terminated one year ago when
they demanded a wage increase.
PTCL under Etsalat has become an anti
workers union institution. After privatization in 2005
under General Musharaf, the management never accepted
the existence of the unions. In August 2010, when unions
demanded wage increase, the management got police to
arrest the leaders and charged them with anti terrorist
laws. They spent the month of Ramazan in jail. The
management also suspended and terminated over 600
workers from jobs, some has been reinstated but the main
leadership of the unions is not reinstated.
The protest camp will be at GPO Chowk
Mall Road Lahore from 8am to 5pm every day.
To contact the union leadership,
Please call Hasan Rana 03334225333
Second day of protest camp by
telecommunication workers in Lahore
Today on Tuesday, 2nd August,
the telecommunication workers of PTCL will continue
their protest camp on the second day as well. The
protest camp at GPO Chouck Mall Road Lahore, in front of
PTCL headquarters attracted a lot of attention by many
journalists and fellow trade unionists yesterday.
Today is first of Ramazan and the United
Telecommunication Workers Alliance decided to continue
their protest even on this holy day. It was decided that
the camp will continue till the reinstatement of all the
workers who lost their jobs during the struggle for wage
increase last year.
Hasan Rana general secretary of the
Alliance, said that “we are encouraged by the historic
struggle of the Electricity workers of Karachi who went
on camping for over 89 days and won a significant
victory over the most anti workers management, we are
out of jobs for one years, we have tried indoor
negotiations, through the courts, but nothing has
worked, now the decision will be made on the main Mall
Road of Lahore, I appeal to all the fellow trade
unionists to help us and join our camp”
This is to demand for the reinstatement
of all 83 union activists and leaders of PTCL whose
services were terminated one year ago when they demanded
a wage increase.
PTCL under Itsalat has become an anti
workers union institution. After privatization in 2005
under General Musharaf, the management never accepted
the existence of the unions. In August 2010, when unions
demanded wage increase, the management got police to
arrest the leaders and charged them with anti terrorist
laws. They spent the month of Ramazan in jail. The
management also suspended and terminated over 600
workers from jobs, some has been reinstated but the main
leadership of the unions is not reinstated.
The protest camp will be at GPO Chouck
Mall Road Lahore from 8am to 5pm every day.
Join PTCL unions protest camp in Lahore
United Workers Alliance Pakistan
Telecommunication will start its protest camp in Lahore
at GPO Chouck Mall Road from 8am this morning. This is
to demand for the reinstatement of all 83 union
activists and leaders of PTCL whose serivces were
terminated one year ago when they demanded a wage
increase.
PTCL under Itesalat has become an anti
workers union institution. After privatisation in 2005
under General Musharaf, the management never accepted
the existence of the unions. In August 2010, when unions
demanded wage increase, the management got police to
arrest the leaders and charged them with anti terrorist
laws. They spent the month of Ramazan in jail. The
management also suspended and terminated over 600
workers from jobs, some has been reinstated but the main
leadership of the unions are not reinstated.
The protest camp will remain intact
untill the jobs are given back. the protest camp also
demand the renationalisation of PTCL.
This is to appeal to all the trade
unions, social and political activists to join us in the
camp from today.
to contact the union leadership, please
call Hasan Rana 03334225333
Rana Mohammed Aslam
general secretary
LPP Lahore
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