Protest demo held against anti-worker measures, federal budget.

KARACHI -- The Awami Workers Party (AWP) and the Pakistan Trade Union Federation (PTUF) organised countrywide demonstrations on Tuesday to protest against the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), the sacking of over 11,000 polio workers, the notification of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) management against contractual employees, and the decision to sort out the 'overstaffed' Pakistan Railways.

One such protest was held outside the Karachi Press Club, in which the AWP, PTUF, PSM Trade Union Alliance, SSGC Insaf Jafakash Union, Railway Workers Union, Polio Workers Action Committee, Progressive Students Federation (PrSF) and various other trade unions and progressive organisations participated.

The participants raised slogans against the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, former and current governments, and 'corrupt' managements. They condemned the recent firing on workers of a textile mill and declared that the government and state were slaves of the capitalists.

'Now is the time for all workers to unite and wage a countrywide struggle against privatisation'

Addressing the protest, Akbar Narejo, the convener of the PSM Trade Union Alliance and president of the PSM's Progressive Union, said that not only was the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government deceitful, it was also 'murderous' towards the workers. 'Before the elections, this party collected votes by putting up a pretence of opposition to privatisation, particularly that of the PSM, which is why the PTI's union emerged victorious in the PSM referendum,' he said. 'But Asad Umar, who until then was found saying that if the government privatises the institution, he would be found siding with the employees, can today be seen playing a major role in the process of privatisation,' he added.

Mohammad Ayaz, the president of the SSGC Insaf Jafakash Union, said the PTI government was like the monster who ate its own children. According to him, when his union approached the courts with the cases of contractual employees who had been working for 20 years for the company, the management resorted to sacking, demotions and transfers of the representatives of the Insaf Jafakash Union. 'At every crucial turn, the government could be seen standing by the management's side against its own union,' said Ayaz. 'This has encouraged the management so much that today it is issuing notifications to change these contractual workers into outsourced employees,' he added.

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