The working class also held protest rallies
in Quetta, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Rahim Yar Khan, Karachi, Multan, Sahiwal,
Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Sargodha, Sawat and Peshawar under the
aegis of All Pakistan
Workers Confederation. At Lahore, the workers took out mass procession
participated by thousands of the Trade union representatives and workers from various
parts of the City belonging to WAPDA, Railway, PTCL, Textile, Engineering, Chemical,
Construction, Transport, Banks, Agriculture and other industries and held rally
near Al-Hamra Mall Road, Lahore .
The workers were carrying Red Banners and
National Flags and were raising slogans Long Live Solidarity of the Working
Class, Long Live Pakistan, Down with Capitalism and Crony Capitalism and demanding to the Government
to check price hike of the essential commodities and aggravating unemployment and Object poverty and
ignorance and control the plundering of national wealth by the elite and urging
the Government to raise wages of the workers employed in Government and
Semi-Government and Autonomous
Bodies and private sector and fix minimum wages of the workers at least
Rs.25,000/- per month.
The rally was addressed by Veteran Trade Union Leader
Khurshid Ahmad, General Secretary, Ms.Ms. Rubeen Jameel President, Yousaf
Baloch, Chairman OsamaTariq, General Secretary, Textile Workers Federation, Ch.
Muhammad Anwar, President, Railways Workers Union, Hassan Muhammad Rana General
Secretary, PTCL Employee Union, Khushi Muhammad Khokhar, President, Irrigation Employees
Welfare Federation, Haji Muhammad Younus, Senior Vice President, All Pakistan WAPDA
Hydro Electric Workers Union, Niaz Ahmad Khan, Mahmood Butt and other trade union representatives.
The
rally through a resolution, demanded to the Government to amend the outdated labour laws and bring them in
conformity with ILO Conventions ratified by the Government of Pakistan, get enforced labour laws through independent
labour inspection machinery in conformity with ILO Convention No.81 in order to prevent the workers from
accidents and occupational diseases and exploitation, impose taxes upon the elite in particular feudal lords and
chrony capitalists and politicians in order to provide free qualitative education and medical treatment to each child
and raise employment opportunities to 1.8 million young labour force entering into labour market every year
and ensure decent work to them and ensure provision of clean work to each
citizen and impose ban on construction of posh villas and not allow
construction of a house on more than 10 marla and provide cheaper housing facilities
to the poor segments of the society.
They also demanded the Government not to privatize the national
public utilities like Electricity, Oil and Gas, Civil Aviation, PIA and raise their productivity by introducing
administrative reforms and appointing honest and professional management and
stopping undue political interference. They also demanded the Government to
introduce New Labour Policy in conformity with ILO Conventions ratified by the
Government of Pakistan and convene National Tripartite Labour Conference in conformity with ILO Convention
No. 144 ratified by the Government of Pakistan which has not been convened for more than 5 years.
28
Nisbet Road Lahore.
