The manoeuvres of the Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan around the issue of “blasphemy” have made worldwide headlines. What gets less publicity is the militant class struggle of Pakistani workers. One such struggle is that of the workers at the Karachi Electric Supply Company, who have fought and defeated the bosses plans to forcibly retire 4500 workers.
On 31st December 2010 the Mullah aristocracy backed by the secret agencies of Pakistan had called for a nationwide strike on the issue of blasphemy and were threatening common people with dire consequences. On that fearful day the management of the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) announced the brutal measure of the Voluntary Separation Scheme (VSS) with 15th January 2011 as its date of implementation, which actually means forced retirement for more than 4500.
This news created a stir in the office of the KESC Labour Union (CBA). On the call of the union leadership, the workers not only from Karachi but also from different parts of Sindh and Baluchistan started gathering at the union office despite the transport strike. In these very difficult circumstances around 1500 workers managed to reach the office by evening. The KESC Labour Union announced resistance against the VSS. On that evening a protest rally was held from the Power house to the Karachi Press Club.
During the night a leaflet was printed and distributed with the title “Unemployment is Unacceptable”. On that day a plan was chalked out for a new fightback and it was decided that instead of gathering at one place the office bearers of the union would visit different centres of KESC and hold corner meetings to organize the workers against this barbaric act. For the first time in the history of KESC corner meetings were organized at 108 locations.
On the other hand the management and their touts also organized corner meetings to make the workers distrustful of the Labour Union and lure them into accepting the VSS. The workers were threatened with severe consequences if they did not accept it. The goons of the management kept on telling the workers that if they did not accept the scheme their fate would be similar to the 294 officers who had been sacked earlier.
As soon as the leadership got any news of the management’s corner meetings they rushed to motivate the workers. As a result 4200 out of 4800 workers rejected the scheme which shows the advancement in class consciousness. On 8th January a mass meeting was held at the power house whish was one of the largest in the history of KESC. In this meeting the workers submitted the VSS letters to the CBA leadership. Some workers had already burnt their letters during the corners meetings.
The management registered a case against the CBA leadership at the National Industrial Relations Commission (NIRC), stating that these people wanted to spoil the peace of the department and are a security risk and they should be arrested. But sensing the mood of the workers the NIRC did not issue arrest orders.
Frustrated by such an open defeat, on 19th of January at 10pm, management dismissed the 4500 workers who had not accepted the VSS, including the CBA Chairman, Vice Chairman, Publicity secretary and other office bearers.
This savage act triggered a mighty response from the workers. The next day, on 20th January the protesting workers from different centres gathered at the Head Office. When the police attacked the peaceful protesters the workers retaliated with violence and took on the management and officers.
Although there is no formal agreement between the unions, workers from every union are participating in this movement and they besieged the head office and a staged sit-in until the management relented, with as many as 6,000 workers taking part. Fascist forces tried to threaten the workers but under the leadership of PTUDC workers continued their struggle.
Comrades from the PTUDC participated in this movement from its onset. On the night of 20th January the PTUDC’s central President, Riaz Hussain Lund Baloch, addressed the workers explaining to them that they should learn from experience that every form of privatization is economic slaughter of the workers. Many people will come to the workers and will try to convince them to go for negotiations and legal battles and to end the protest. We must not fall for their trap because the law and the courts are controlled by the capitalists. We should continue this protest till all of the sacked workers are restored. The PTUDC stands shoulder to shoulder with the KESC workers and if need be we will launch a movement on a national and international scale for the restoration of KESC workers.
Later on comrade Paras Jan, comrade Khalid Rafiq and other leading comrades of PTUDC addressed huge gatherings of workers. All the workers appreciated the positions of comrades of PTUDC and vowed to continue their struggle. They also rejected the “negotiations” drama played out by the fascist MQM with the management, and this time the workers were the ones who decided. They were in no mood to retreat.
In coming days management will try other methods to implement its brutal policy with vengeance. They will use new leaders, new threats and poisonous deals covered in attractive packages but workers have learnt a lot from their experiences and this time they have proved it. This victory will give a new hope to the working class of Pakistan against the onslaught of privatization by present regime.
Along with this, the workers in the Post Office, Port Qasim and other departments are entering a new phase of their movements. The PTUDC is trying to form a common nucleus of all these movements and our goal is to make a combined charter of demands for all the institutions resulting in a unified movement.