Condemning the brutal ethnic killings of workers in Balochistan, labor leaders called the acts inhumane
Karachi
Various affiliate federations of IndustriALL Global Union in Pakistan organized protest rallies on Monday October 7, 2024 in several cities across the country against the ethnic killings of workers, the privatization of public institutions, anti-worker labor codes, and the rising number of workplace accidents.
In Karachi, a protest was held at the Karachi Press Club, organized by the Home-Based Women Workers Federation Pakistan (HBWWF), the Pakistan Chemical, Energy, and Mines Federation (PCEM), and the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF). A large number of factory workers and home-based women workers participated in the demonstration.
Labor leaders, in their addresses, strongly condemned the anti-worker stance of the federal and provincial governments, stating that the working class must unite and organize to secure their rights. They also criticized the Sindh government’s unwarranted delay in issuing wage notifications, calling it a clear sign of their anti-labor mindsets.
Condemning the brutal ethnic killings of workers in Balochistan, labor leaders called the acts inhumane and declared that those committing such cowardly crimes couldn’t be true friends of the Baloch people & their just cause. They emphasized that these acts would not undermine worker solidarity with peoples of Balochistan.
Read: Sindh and Punjab Labor Codes declared Anti-Worker
The leaders also rejected the labor codes drafted with the support of the International Labor Organization (ILO) in Punjab and Sindh, labeling them anti-worker and in conflict with international labor conventions. They accused the codes of attempting to legitimize illegal third party contract (THEKEDARI) systems, with the ILO playing a key role.
They demanded that the ILO publicly disassociate itself from the draft if this was not the case. Additionally, they condemned some officials in the Sindh labor department for secretly pushing to legalize the anti-worker draft.
Read: Labor Day Rally Demands Living Wage for Workers in Pakistan
They warned that the Sindh Labor Code was a death sentence for workers’ constitutional and legal rights, which the workers would never accept.
The labor leaders also criticized the privatization of public institutions under the influence of the IMF and international financial institutions, stating that most of the institutions sold in the past four decades had failed to produce any positive result and were closed down. Privatization had led to increased unemployment and poverty, and they pledged to resist the implementation of the policy of privatization & retrenchment of the workers.
They highlighted the alarming increase in workplace accidents, particularly in factories and mines, due to unsafe working conditions, and criticized the government for failing to take serious measures to address that dangerous situation.
The labor leaders demanded the following:
- The Sindh government must immediately issue the official wage notification.
- The labor codes in Sindh and Punjab should be withdrawn, and the ILO must distance itself from any attempt to legalize anti-worker measures, otherwise protests would be organized at the federal and provincial levels.
- Illegal third party contract system must be abolished.
- Enforcement of labor laws in workplaces should be ensured.
- The privatization of public institutions should be halted, and the challenges faced by these institutions should be resolved in consultation with workers’ representatives.
- Concrete steps must be taken to make factories, mines, and workplaces safer for workers.
Those who addressed the protest include Comrade Usman Blaoch, Rafiq Baloch, Imran Ali, Zahra Khan, Riaz Abbasi, Mohammad Saleem, Raja Munir Ahmed, Mia Abdul Rahman, Rahib Ali Samitjo, Irfan Ali, Saira Feroze, Aqib Hussain, Tushir Khan, Iqbal Abro, Humat Ali Phalpoto, Murtaza Tanoli, Wahid Baloch and others.
Read: Labor Representatives Reject ILO’s Sindh Labor Code Proposal
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