KARACHI, Feb. 24: A representative gathering of the labour here on Saturday expressed serious concern on the proposed plan of the government to privatization Pakistan Steel Mill and state-owned airline PIA and demanded to stop this plan because this will result in joblessness of thousands of employees.
Speaking at a provincial consultation of the National Labour Council (Sindh) held at PILER Centre Karachi the labour leaders condemned the government’s plan for privatization of thekey public sector organsiations. They pointed out that hundreds of thousands of workers had lost their jobs as a result of privatization of state owned industrial and commercial units in the past since 1990s.
The consultation meeting, presided over the senior trade union leader Haibuddin Junaidi was also addressed by labour leaders from different parts of Sindh. Prominent among them included Karamat Ali, Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), Liaqat Sahi of Democratic Workers Union of State Bank of Pakistan, Farhat Perveen of National Organisation of Working Communities, Nasir Mansoor of National Trade Unions Federation, Roshan Kalhoro, Sultan Khan, Mirza Maqsood Ahmed, Asad Iqbal Butt (Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), Saeed Baloch (Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum), Shaikh Majeed and others.
Privatisation has never provided positive results to the economy and internationally privatization has been stopped, a speaker pointed out. The economists are unanimous in their views that privatization has harmed the economies of the world.
“We understand that privatization is not in favour of the country as most of the privatized units were either closed down or still working in losses,” said a resolution passed at the meeting.
They also resolved to start a resistance movement against the privatization across the country.
The trade union representatives underlined the need for compliance of labour standards of International Labour Organisation (ILO) including right to association and collective bargaining. All labour related facilities should be provided to all workers universally.
They expressed contentment the European Union has extended the Generalised System of Preference (GSP)- Plus scheme. In case the scheme suspended by the European Union there had been a fear that thousands of exports manufacturing industries might have been closed down and hundreds of thousands of workers lost their jobs.
The resolution demanded the provincial government of Sindh to take practical steps to implement the Sindh Labour Policy, announced recently including making all necessary amendments in the Labour laws by the provincial assembly to make them more effective.
The labour leaders pointed out that majority of the workers in both industrial and services sectors are employed through third-party contract system.
The meeting expressed concern over political crisis in the country and said that the workers fully support the democratic process and would resist any threat to the political institutions.
They demanded to make the Parliament true representative body that means all sections of the society including labour and women be provided representation in the legislative bodies. There is a need for brining true electoral reforms by making required change in the relevant laws. Besides this, economic reforms and land reforms should be introduced in the country.
The meeting formed two committees, one headed by Liaqat Sahi to prepared constitution of National Labour Council and another led by Asad Iqbal Butt to chalk out the strategy for a resistance movement against privatization.
