Workers of Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited have launched a strike for one month. The main demand was implementation of the 50% salary increment announced by the government of Pakistan. After holding public meetings and rallies across the country the workers of PTCL from all over Pakistan assembled in Islamabad on 31st August at PTCL headquarters. Since then they have continued a protest sit-in at the company headquarters.
The workers blocked major roads in the capital and continued their protest but neither the government nor the PTCL management paid any heed to their demand. Management have sacked 1,200 workers and have stopped the wages of 16,000 workers. Management is also planning to sack 16,000 workers from their jobs. Against these measure workers are planning to jam the telecommunication network in Pakistan.
The workers are standing strong in their resolve. Today on 3rd Sep the Police launched a crackdown on the strike camp. Hundreds of workers were tortured and many have been arrested.
Comrades from Pakistan Trade Union Defence campaign are standing shoulder to shoulder with the striking workers. Comrade Jam Sajjad is one of the main leaders of this movement.
PTUDC president Riaz Hussain Lund Baloch has strongly condemned this act of violence from the authorities and PTCL management. He has also urged workers from other departments to join this struggle of the workers of PTCL.
Our Demands:
- PTCL workers’ salaries to be increased by 50%, as announced by the government.
- Workers to be awarded bonuses as per law from the profit earned by the company in 2010.
- Regularization of all NCPG and daily wages workers.
- Restoration of all the sacked workers.
- Payment of the blocked salaries.
- Withdrawal of all the cases registered against the workers involved in the protest in 2009.
- Immediate nationalization of PTCL under the democratic workers’ control.
- To unite workers from other departments in the struggle against privatisation and for a socialist revolution.