Rjevan
27th May 2010, 22:11
June last year marked a sad highlight in the struggle of Pakistani workers against the German-based chemistry and pharmaceutics company Merck Marker. While the workers already had to face unbearable conditions and were threatened by the management whenever they dared to complain, Merck Marker decided that the pressure wasn't enough - when the workers dared to organize themselves in an action committee and started to resist the harassment it was clear that an example had to be made.
In two weeks the first anniversary of the brave struggle of the persistent workers of Merck Marker who demand justice for their comrades and themselves takes place. I haven't found a thread about this so here is a short summary about the events of last June, full article can be read here: http://www.marxist.com/repression-workers-merck-marker-quetta.htm
Merck Marker is a multinational company whose one factory in Pakistan has been operating in Quetta for the last 60 years. Until last week there were 170 permanent workers, while 300 workers were working on a contract basis and there were 30 junior officers.
[...]
Due to the hard work of its employees, the factory has been earning a profit of 700 million rupees ($875000), but the workers are still lacking basic facilities. Wages are very low and the contract workers are severely exploited. They are given a meager wage of Rs. 6000 ($75) per month. The Managing Director, MD, is drawing a salary of Rs. 13264000 ($165,800) per year.
Whenever the workers demand an increase in wages and other benefits, the factory administration starts its propaganda of threatening to close the factory. The administration also writes letters to the provincial and city administrations to threaten the workers. In June 2009, 12 contract workers and 12 junior officers were sacked.
The workers thus formed a factory action committee and started protesting in front of the Press Club against the exploitation and oppression by the factory administration. The workers also stopped overtime in protest. After the protest the administration threatened to sack 300 contract workers without any benefits.
[...]
On 10th July, 280 contract workers were sacked which is like snatching bread away from 280 families. The oppression of the workers didn’t stop here but it was the beginning. A complaint at Police Station was registered against eight union office bearers while the secretary general of the Merck Employees’ Union, Manzoor Baloch was arrested. He was charged with heinous crimes such as target killings, terrorism, disturbing law and order.
[...]
But on 13th July, the PPP-led Balochistan government attacked the workers and arrested 150 workers at the Merck Marker factory and many were severely beaten. The PTUDC and the Pakistan Workers’ Confederation held a joint protest in front of the Press Club and demanded the end to all these oppressive measures.
And the struggle goes on: http://www.marxist.com/pakistan-workers-of-merck-marker-still-under-attack.htm
Written by Nazar Mengal Monday, 24 May 2010
265 Workers of Merk Marker factory in Quetta who were sacked last year are still struggling for their reinstatement and call for solidarity from Merk Marker workers in other countries.
On May Day 2010 PTUDC and Pakistan Workers’ Federation in Quetta celebrated May Day by protesting the sacking of 265 employees from Merk Factory by the management. The struggle by those working for their jobs has been going on for almost one year now against the brutal bosses. So workers held a protest in front of the Governor’s House and Chief Minister’s House.
http://www.derfunke.de/images/stories/personen/quettademo.jpg
At 10am different trade unions started to form a rally in front of the Town Hall. A joint rally of PTUDC and Merck Factory workers started from Jail Road. Workers were holding banners and placards with their demands. Participants raised slogans against state policies in Balochistan, capitalism, poverty, imperialism, privatization and price hikes. When the rally reached GPO Chowk, the Police tried to block the march which made the workers furious and they started raising the slogan “Lathi Goli ki sarkar nahi chalay gi” (State can’t rule us with power and oppression). At about 10.30am a lot of workers and students had gathered at the Town Hall. After that, the huge crowd, after passing through many markets and avenues in the form of a rally, reached the GPO Chowk near the Chief Minister’s house. The demonstration transformed into a protest which many workers’ leaders addressed. A one minute silence was observed in order to salute the martyrs of Chicago. Haji Ramzan Achakzai (PWF), Manzoor Baloch (Cahirman United Labor Federation), Khan Zaman (Provincial President United Labor Federation), Abdul Salam (Chairman Pakistan Workers Federation), comrade Nazar Mengal (Central Secretary General PTUDC), Haji Aziz Ullah, Haji Said Ullah , Hassan Baloch, Mustafa Kurd, Muhammad Yousaf, Qasim , Abid Butt, Ali Raza Mangol, Nasreen Taj, Abdul Haye, Haji Bashir and many others addressed the rally. Agha Muhammad from WAPDA Hydro Union acted as stage secretary.
Participants paid tribute to the martyrs of Chicago and condemned the naked exploitation of the management of Merck Marker in Germany. They also supported the struggle of the employees in Quetta against state authorities and the factory management. They also condemned brutality and demanded that all the workers should be reinstated immediately otherwise the protests will spread to the whole province and then the whole country.
http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/pakistan/1-may-2010/Quetta_-_2.JPG
The protest continued untill 8pm when a representative of the Balochistan government, Muhammad Younas, came to negotiate with the workers and promised that the 265 workers sacked from Merck Factory would be reinstated soon. But this promise has still not materialised after three weeks.
We appeal to the workers of Merck Marker in other other countries and workers of the world to support our struggle and raise this demand in their unions and factories because an injury to one is an injury to all.
http://www.derfunke.de/images/stories/personen/quettaprotest.jpg
Solidarity with the workers of Merck Marker! Keep struggling, comrades!
In two weeks the first anniversary of the brave struggle of the persistent workers of Merck Marker who demand justice for their comrades and themselves takes place. I haven't found a thread about this so here is a short summary about the events of last June, full article can be read here: http://www.marxist.com/repression-workers-merck-marker-quetta.htm
Merck Marker is a multinational company whose one factory in Pakistan has been operating in Quetta for the last 60 years. Until last week there were 170 permanent workers, while 300 workers were working on a contract basis and there were 30 junior officers.
[...]
Due to the hard work of its employees, the factory has been earning a profit of 700 million rupees ($875000), but the workers are still lacking basic facilities. Wages are very low and the contract workers are severely exploited. They are given a meager wage of Rs. 6000 ($75) per month. The Managing Director, MD, is drawing a salary of Rs. 13264000 ($165,800) per year.
Whenever the workers demand an increase in wages and other benefits, the factory administration starts its propaganda of threatening to close the factory. The administration also writes letters to the provincial and city administrations to threaten the workers. In June 2009, 12 contract workers and 12 junior officers were sacked.
The workers thus formed a factory action committee and started protesting in front of the Press Club against the exploitation and oppression by the factory administration. The workers also stopped overtime in protest. After the protest the administration threatened to sack 300 contract workers without any benefits.
[...]
On 10th July, 280 contract workers were sacked which is like snatching bread away from 280 families. The oppression of the workers didn’t stop here but it was the beginning. A complaint at Police Station was registered against eight union office bearers while the secretary general of the Merck Employees’ Union, Manzoor Baloch was arrested. He was charged with heinous crimes such as target killings, terrorism, disturbing law and order.
[...]
But on 13th July, the PPP-led Balochistan government attacked the workers and arrested 150 workers at the Merck Marker factory and many were severely beaten. The PTUDC and the Pakistan Workers’ Confederation held a joint protest in front of the Press Club and demanded the end to all these oppressive measures.
And the struggle goes on: http://www.marxist.com/pakistan-workers-of-merck-marker-still-under-attack.htm
Written by Nazar Mengal Monday, 24 May 2010
265 Workers of Merk Marker factory in Quetta who were sacked last year are still struggling for their reinstatement and call for solidarity from Merk Marker workers in other countries.
On May Day 2010 PTUDC and Pakistan Workers’ Federation in Quetta celebrated May Day by protesting the sacking of 265 employees from Merk Factory by the management. The struggle by those working for their jobs has been going on for almost one year now against the brutal bosses. So workers held a protest in front of the Governor’s House and Chief Minister’s House.
http://www.derfunke.de/images/stories/personen/quettademo.jpg
At 10am different trade unions started to form a rally in front of the Town Hall. A joint rally of PTUDC and Merck Factory workers started from Jail Road. Workers were holding banners and placards with their demands. Participants raised slogans against state policies in Balochistan, capitalism, poverty, imperialism, privatization and price hikes. When the rally reached GPO Chowk, the Police tried to block the march which made the workers furious and they started raising the slogan “Lathi Goli ki sarkar nahi chalay gi” (State can’t rule us with power and oppression). At about 10.30am a lot of workers and students had gathered at the Town Hall. After that, the huge crowd, after passing through many markets and avenues in the form of a rally, reached the GPO Chowk near the Chief Minister’s house. The demonstration transformed into a protest which many workers’ leaders addressed. A one minute silence was observed in order to salute the martyrs of Chicago. Haji Ramzan Achakzai (PWF), Manzoor Baloch (Cahirman United Labor Federation), Khan Zaman (Provincial President United Labor Federation), Abdul Salam (Chairman Pakistan Workers Federation), comrade Nazar Mengal (Central Secretary General PTUDC), Haji Aziz Ullah, Haji Said Ullah , Hassan Baloch, Mustafa Kurd, Muhammad Yousaf, Qasim , Abid Butt, Ali Raza Mangol, Nasreen Taj, Abdul Haye, Haji Bashir and many others addressed the rally. Agha Muhammad from WAPDA Hydro Union acted as stage secretary.
Participants paid tribute to the martyrs of Chicago and condemned the naked exploitation of the management of Merck Marker in Germany. They also supported the struggle of the employees in Quetta against state authorities and the factory management. They also condemned brutality and demanded that all the workers should be reinstated immediately otherwise the protests will spread to the whole province and then the whole country.
http://www.marxist.com/images/stories/pakistan/1-may-2010/Quetta_-_2.JPG
The protest continued untill 8pm when a representative of the Balochistan government, Muhammad Younas, came to negotiate with the workers and promised that the 265 workers sacked from Merck Factory would be reinstated soon. But this promise has still not materialised after three weeks.
We appeal to the workers of Merck Marker in other other countries and workers of the world to support our struggle and raise this demand in their unions and factories because an injury to one is an injury to all.
http://www.derfunke.de/images/stories/personen/quettaprotest.jpg
Solidarity with the workers of Merck Marker! Keep struggling, comrades!