Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign - A record of struggle

This is a report we have received of the most recent activities of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign. These comrades are working under the most difficult conditions and deserve our support and solidarity. We have now set up a facility to make on-line credit card donations.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We would like to inform you about the activities and campaigning work of the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign in the last few months.

PTUDC has intervened in many struggles and campaigns in Railways Telecom, Postal, Banks, Sugar, Steel, Fertilizer and Port. Main interventions:

1: December 1999- January 2000 in Railways against privatization downsizing and deduction of salaries and allowances and arrest of thirty-four leaders and workers.

2: October 1999 in Habib Bank (largest public sector bank in Pakistan) against privatization and down sizing of 15000 workers.

3: During 2000 main intervention was made in Sugar industries against privatization sacking of 1300 workers, payment of salaries and closure of Sugar Mills in Sindh. This campaign is still going on. PTUDC also made intervention in Postal sector against sacking of 4300 workers. PTUDC also played leading role in the struggle of teachers in Sindh. PTUDC lead struggle in Karachi Port Trust for reinstatement of workers. PTUDC lead in historical struggle in Badin Sugar Mill.

4: during three months of 2001 PTUDC made big intervention in Telecom, Sugar and fertilizer sector against privatization, downsizing and cuts.

5: PTUDC organized more than 25 meetings, seminars and demos against privatization, downsizing and state attacks during 2000-2001.

6: PTUDC printed 10000 posters against privatization and downsizing. Printed other thousands of leaflets and posters in Postal and Karachi Port trust Workers movement.

7: Nation wide campaign and movement organized against privatization, downsizing, contract labour, decent wages, price hike and unemployment. More than sixty-one unions are united under the banner of PTUDC against all the issues facing by the workers in Pakistan.

Effects of interventions:

1.- PTUDC unite eleven unions in Telecom sector against sacking of 14000 workers and privatization of Telecom sector. Eleven unions formed Telecom workers action committee. This action committee organized 4 big protest rallies and demos. This series of rallies and demos forced the government to retreat from downsizing and privatization. PTUDC organized solidarity in other state sector corporations and industries for Telecom action Committee. Now workers are confident to continue their fight against all anti-workers policies and laws imposed by IMF- World Bank and military regime. This retreat is a big step forward in a success for workers.

2.- PTUDC organized a big campaign against the privatization of the state owned fertilizer factory in Sindh. After one and half month struggle in which PTUDC organized hunger strikes and protest camps in the factory. Now military regime has announced that they will not privatize this unit.

3.- PTUDC also leading a struggle in United Sugar Mills in South Punjab for the reinstatement of 1100 workers and payment of their sex months salaries and bonuses. After three months struggle now management announced that they will pay all the dues and reinstate the sacked workers but struggle will continue until management clears all the dues and reinstate all the workers.

4.- PTUDC played vital role in the movement of schoolteachers in Sindh. This movement is continuing from last five months. A female activist of the PTUDC comrade Rubina Baluch is playing a leading role in organising and developing this movement. During the struggle teachers organized many rallies, demos and hunger strikes. They also organized a token strike last month. Regime arrested 14 leaders of this movement but under the pressure of other unions they were released after few days. Now the government has stopped the sacking of teachers and now has started negotiations with teachers union leaders.

5.- PTUDC also lead a movement of hospital employees in Sindh. The chief organiser of this movement Khadim Hajiano who was arrested is the main leader of PTUDC and hospital employees. After his arrest whole town went on strike. The workers of municipal committee, Transport, Telecommunication, Post office and many other unions joined the strike. The leader was released and all the demands put forward by the hospital employees were accepted.

6.- In PWD (Public Works Department) PTUDC merged three unions in one union. There are many unions in every corporation factory and government institutions. PTUDC always pledge itself to unite the most divided unions and workers to one platform because the management and regimes always used this division of the working class to repress them. That is why PTUDC continuously campaigning for the unity of the unions and workers. This campaign has been successful so far specially in telecom, postal, fertilizer, cement and sugar sectors.

These are the successes we have achieved but we need continuous struggle and support to retain these successes. The regime will again start a new series of attacks on workers under the pressure of IMF-World Bank. The PTUDC has vowed to keep up the struggle and fight on every front in defence of the workers and their unions in Pakistan. It is also running study circles and other programmes to educate, organise and prepare the workers f or the stormy events that loom ahead. We are also producing a quarterly bulletin, books and other publications for this purpose. The PTUDC firmly believes that the ultimate emancipation of the workers peasants and other oppressed classes in Pakistan and elsewhere lies in the fundamental transformation of economic relations and the establishment of a socialist society in the interest of the many not the profits of the few. The main aim is to link the day to day struggles of the workers to the attainment of this goal. The PTUDC appeals to the trade unions and workers in Europe and around the world to support us in this struggle which in final analysis is the common class struggle of the workers of this planet.

Workers of the world Unite !
With Revolutionary greetings,

Khalid Bhatti,
National Organiser,
PTUDC [Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign]
Lahore,
Pakistan.
April 1st, 2001

All correspondence to:
PO Box 6977,
London, N1 3JN,
England
email: struggle@nexlinx.net.pk

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Fifty-three Trade Unions are sponsoring Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign from public and private sectors. These unions are mainly from Telecom, Railways, Postal, Airlines and other service sectors and cement, sugar, fertilizer, steel and other industries. These are the some of the unions: Pakistan telecommunication lions staff union. (Telecom sector). People unity of PIA employees (Pakistan International Airlines). National organization of postal employees (NOPE). Railway workers union. (Workshops). Railway workers union (Open line). Railway workers revolutionary union. People’s union of Karachi Electricity supply corporation (KESC). People’s unity of Sue Southern gas pipes, Sindh. Balochistan People’s front of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi. Progressive employees union Thatha cement factory, Thatha. Employees union, Pak -Saudi fertilizer, Sindh. Employees union Sindh Arid Zone authority, Sindh. Employees union Dadu Sugar Mills, Sindh. Itehad Mazdoor Union, United Sugar Mills, Punjab. Telecom workers union, Pakistan. Railway Telecom worker association. Baggage Mazdoor Union, Sindh. Employees Union Municipal Committee workers, Sindh. Employees Union Madi Indus Gas, Sindh. Pak- PWD Labour Union Punjab. People’s Labour Union, Water & Sanitation Authority, Faisalabad Punjab. Mazdoor Union, Water & Sanitation Authority, Lahore. Employees Union, Sue Northern Gas Pipes, Punjab, NWFP Workers Union, Oil and Gas development corporation, Pakistan. Pakistan Paramedical staff federation (Hospital employees) Sindh Baluchistan. Sindhi Porhat Sanghat, Sindh (Sindhi workers alliance) Port Qasam Workers Union Karachi Port. People’s Workers Union, Pakistan Steel Mills, Karachi. Employees Union Workers Welfare Board, Pakistan. RMS Employees Union Pakistan. Democratic Workers Union, State Bank of Pakistan. Coca-Cola Employees Union, Punjab. All Government Employees Coordination Council, NWFP. (23 Trade Unions Affiliated with this council) People’s Labour Bureau, Karachi division. (27 Trade Unions affiliated with this organization.) Muslim commercial bank staff union, NWFP. All Pakistan ministerial staff association. (APCA) Employees Union dada Bhai cement, Sindh. Labour union Jawadaan, cement factory Karachi. General tire workers union, Karachi. Mazdoor union grain stores Punjab. Habib bank workers union. Employees union Pakistan engineering company. National alliance of trade unions, Pakistan. (13 trade unions affiliated with this alliance) Workers union small industry corporation, NWFP Paramedical staff association, NWFP.