Pakistan: Workers challenge the brutality of multinational corporation at Taunsa Barrage

The workers of DESCON, a contracting company, who work for TBERMP, which is funded by the World Bank, held a demonstration on April 9-10 at Taunsa Barrage. Descon's local office at the Taunsa barrage was burnt down and the workers have declared that they will stay on strike until all of their demands are met.

The workers burnt Descon's office because they had not received payment of wages for some time and also because a worker, whose wife was in hospital delivering a baby, was beaten by company officer Ch. Manzoor when he asked for his wages.

The workers gathered again on the morning of April 10 to continue the strike, blocking the main road to the barrage. The workers were angry, as the man who had been beaten lost his wife, who died in hospital because they did not have money to cover proper medical care. Eventually people representing theIrrigation Department approached the workers along with a police officer. They asked the workers to end their strike, promising the fulfilment of all the workers' demands. The workers elected an eight-man committee of Allah Dita Shah, Ismail Moor, Zulfiqar Ali and Fazal Gurmani from Sindhoo Bachaoo Tarla and Ali Akbar and Tasleem Chichti from Mazdoor Itthad along with fellow workers Irshad Hussain and Mohd Tariq. They presented their demands in writing to the representatives of the Irrigation Department. Their demands are as follows:

1. Every worker to be given a medical allowance of Rs 3000 on top of their monthly salary
2. For the appointment of an on-site doctor
3. For a Rs 6000 per month minimum salary
4. All workers who have been or who are being sacked to be reinstated
5. For locals to have priority in job postings
6. For a reduction in the working day from 12 to 8 hours
7. For overtime pay for work above 8 hours
8. The company must cover the cost of medical care at the time of the incident
9. For equal payment for local and non-local workers. At the moment the local workers are given Rs 4500/month and non-local workers are given Rs 6000/month
10. Every worker to be issued a card upon which the details of their work and tasks should be written
11. The salary of workers to be increased after three months
12. Compensation of Rs 1,000,000 to be given to the worker whose wife died in hospital while delivering her baby because they did not have enough money to purchase proper medical care
13. Ch Manzoor of Descon Company must be sacked for beating the worker who demanded payment of his wages to help his wife in hospital
14. All outstanding payments to all workers to be paid today

After giving their demands to representatives of the Irrigation Department, Mehr Javaid the representative for Descon announced that all the demands of the workers would be met, because they were genuine demands. He also announced that the labour director would be invited to the barrage to help coordinate the work. The workers are still on strike, as they are awaiting payment of their salaries.

Sindhoo Bachaoo Tarla and the PTUDC have announced that if the demands of workers are not met, then the struggle will continue not only at Taunsa Barrage but spread to include workers at Seraiki Wasaib and throughout the whole country.