Laborers plan big protest movement for their rights
M. Sameer
KARACHI: A lingering issue of workers for a long as the land mafia allegedly supported by the provincial government illegally occupied 4008 flats allotted to laborers and working class.
These flats were allotted to workers three years ago, while allottees had already paid their dues of thier flats. However, Sindh government allowed land mafia to occupy 1000 flats in the name of flood affectees and they further sold them alleged the labor leaders.
However, the remaining more than 3000 flats are not being handed over to their allottees under different pretexts, the workers had moved the Sindh High Court to get justice and the chief justice of SHC on April 29, 2015 had ordered to give the possession of these flats to workers within 60 days, but all pending.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan also upheld the same judgment, but the Sindh government failed to implement it. Now the workers have filed contempt of case application in the Sindh High Court.
Due to the apathy of the federal and provincial governments the schemes of Sindh Workers Welfare Board including scholarships, dowry grant, death grant, education and provision of sewing machines have been put on the back burner since 2011 and millions of workers are suffering due to the agony.
They said that labor organizations have announced to formally launch a big protest drive from Karachi to realize their due rights. In this regard, their first protest demo would be held on Tuesday, November 24 at Ghani Chowrangi, Site industrial area Karachi at 4:00pm.
They demanded that the Labor laws should be implemented in all factories, mills and workplaces, Sindh Workers Welfare Act 2014 should be withdrawn immediately and a new act be passed after due consultation with the representatives of workers.
The budget of Sindh Social Security for the fiscal 2024-15 has been passed illegally which should be withdrawn and a new budget be passed after taking on board the real representatives of workers in the governing body of Sindh Social Security.
Those behind the scam of fake medicines in the Sindh Social Security hospitals should be arrested and given punishment as per law. Monitoring committees comprising workers and other stakeholders should be formed for each and every hospital of the Sindh Social Security. Audit of the financial matters of Sindh Social Security should be immediately conducted.
Thyey also demanded of the possession of the flats of workers should be given to the allottees and all halted schemes of workers should be restarted soon. Labor inspection system should be implemented in all factories and workplaces in consultation with labor organizations. The demands of the heirs of workers martyred in Ali Enterprises Karachi and Sundar Industrial Estate Lahore tragedies should be accepted they told.
The leaders among Rafiq Baloch president NTUF, Nasir Mansoor deputy general secretary NTUF, Mukhtar Awan president Sindh Muttahida Labor Federation, Zahra Khan general secretary Home-based Women Workers Federation, Waqar Memon Chairman Pakistan Workers Federation Karachi chapter, Bakhit Zameen general secretary Site Labor Forum, Riaz Abbasi general secretary NTUF Sindh chapter, Gul Rahman leader Workers Rights Movement, Ghulam Mustafa leader Pakistan National Federation of chemical, energy and pharmaceutical workers union, Aenul Huda general secretary All Pakistan pharmaceutical, chemical and general workers union and Ghulam Muhammad chairman Karachi Trade Union Action Committee.
Laborers plan big protest movement for their rights
M. Sameer
KARACHI: The labor leaders of different unions on Thursday announced to launch a big protest movement for the rights of workers; the rally would start from Karachi
Talking to the media men they said labors are deprived of their due rights and workers facing immense problems, but government are not serious to resolve their miseries since long.
They said that Pakistan is considered amongst those countries of the world, though the state of Pakistan has ratified more than 37 conventions of International Labor Organization (ILO) and 27 points under the GSP+ that include the labor rights, which it has badly failed to get them implemented in factories, industries and workplaces.
This is the proof of the class-based structure of the Pakistani state, as well as, its priorities, that’s why the working conditions for our laborers are going from bad to worse with every passing day.
They said that in factories, mills and other workplaces no measures could be seen for the health and safety of workers. There is no system of labor inspection and the inspectors of the labor department are seen nowhere. In this grim backdrop precious lives of innocent workers go lost in gory industrial mishaps from Ali Enterprises Karachi to the factory building collapse in Sundar Industrial Estate Lahore. The anti-labor attitude of the government could be gauged from this scenario.
They said that the federal and provincial governments are continuing their anti-worker policies. A recent example in this regard could be found in the approval of the Sindh Workers Welfare Act 2014 without consultation with the labor organizations of the province. This whole process is undemocratic and open violation of the tripartite consultation. With this anti-labor act, the government of Sindh has increased the number of the members of the governing body of Sindh Workers Welfare Fund from 9 to 16, and thus paved way for giving representation to its cronies so that could embezzle its funds. The labor organizations reject this act and announce to challenge it in court.
The government of Sindh has not only passed the Workers Welfare Fund law, but also approved the EOBI Act 2014 in undemocratic manner without consultation with the labor organizations, especially those belonging to private sector. In this way a conspiracy is being hatched to deprive hundreds of thousands of workers of their right of pension and hence to embezzle billions of rupees.
They said recently the budget of Sindh Social Security for the fiscal 2015-16 was passed, but the three representatives of workers were expelled from the budget session by the advisor of Sindh government. Hence, this anti-labor budget was passed which is aimed at to open news vistas of corruption. Presently, the hospitals of Sindh Social Security face acute shortage of medicines. Even if some medicine is available it is fake or substandard. Its proof is the recent raid of anti-corruption department on the Valika Hospital of Sindh Social Security, in which a big quantity of fake medicines was recovered. No audit of the Sindh Social Security has been carried out for last 10 years.