Commiechu
4th September 2010, 06:12
In the past few weeks there has been untold suffering in Pakistan, but also a large movement of the downtrodden and suffering. But groups of all religious and political backgrounds have unified to help all the people who have been hurt by the recent floods in Pakistan. Muslims, Christians, Jews, Atheists, communists, liberals, and reactionaries are working together to assist their friends and family in any way they can, whether this is by raising funds internationally or by going right out in to the thick of things to rescue, clothe, and feed those directly touched by this disaster. At the same time there has been an uproar among the workers and trade unionists all over the country, this has resulted in strikes, protests, and in retaliation from the government. The Pakistan Trade Union Defense Campaign (PTUDC) is responsible for a lot of this agitation in addition to much of the relief work in southern Pakistan. Most recently they have been in on the organization and defense of a 1 month strike by the workers of the Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited in which workers have demanded:
1. PTCL workers’ salaries to be increased by 50%, as announced by the government.
2. Workers to be awarded bonuses as per law from the profit earned by the company in 2010.
3. Regularization of all NCPG and daily wages workers.
4. Restoration of all the sacked workers.
5. Payment of the blocked salaries.
6. Withdrawal of all the cases registered against the workers involved in the protest in 2009.
7. Immediate nationalization of PTCL under the democratic workers’ control.
8. To unite workers from other departments in the struggle against privatisation and for a socialist revolution.
This was in response to the sacking of 1,200 workers (with 16,000 more planned to be sacked) and the freezing of wages for 16,000 more workers. The police have responded by arresting and torturing 100s of striking workers. I am pretty certain there will be people here who will be against this strike, and who will be irritated by this post, but I for one congratulate these workers and wish them luck in their struggle, I hope they know that they are not alone.
I would also like to mention the student occupation of Quaid-e-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur. This occupation is in response to a one hundred percent increase in fees and severe power cuts in the student hostels. This was initially just a peaceful protest against these increases and power cuts. But how did the police respond? They attacked the students, beating them with truncheons and shooting them with tear gas and rubber bullets. Even under all this pressure the students continued their protest. In response to this the police invaded the student hostels, beating and arresting students. Many of these students were even labelled as "terrorists" and arrested under anti-terrorism legislation. These students are almost entirely the children of working class families hit hard by the flood disaster - there is no way they can afford this fee increase. I completely support these student's demands that all fees are waived for those affected by the floods as well as their demands for the removal of the DPO/Commissioner because of their brutal treatment of students.
ہم نے غلبہ پانے والے ہیں
- Chris
1. PTCL workers’ salaries to be increased by 50%, as announced by the government.
2. Workers to be awarded bonuses as per law from the profit earned by the company in 2010.
3. Regularization of all NCPG and daily wages workers.
4. Restoration of all the sacked workers.
5. Payment of the blocked salaries.
6. Withdrawal of all the cases registered against the workers involved in the protest in 2009.
7. Immediate nationalization of PTCL under the democratic workers’ control.
8. To unite workers from other departments in the struggle against privatisation and for a socialist revolution.
This was in response to the sacking of 1,200 workers (with 16,000 more planned to be sacked) and the freezing of wages for 16,000 more workers. The police have responded by arresting and torturing 100s of striking workers. I am pretty certain there will be people here who will be against this strike, and who will be irritated by this post, but I for one congratulate these workers and wish them luck in their struggle, I hope they know that they are not alone.
I would also like to mention the student occupation of Quaid-e-Azam Medical College in Bahawalpur. This occupation is in response to a one hundred percent increase in fees and severe power cuts in the student hostels. This was initially just a peaceful protest against these increases and power cuts. But how did the police respond? They attacked the students, beating them with truncheons and shooting them with tear gas and rubber bullets. Even under all this pressure the students continued their protest. In response to this the police invaded the student hostels, beating and arresting students. Many of these students were even labelled as "terrorists" and arrested under anti-terrorism legislation. These students are almost entirely the children of working class families hit hard by the flood disaster - there is no way they can afford this fee increase. I completely support these student's demands that all fees are waived for those affected by the floods as well as their demands for the removal of the DPO/Commissioner because of their brutal treatment of students.
ہم نے غلبہ پانے والے ہیں
- Chris