By Khalid Bhatti 26/05/2005
TURC-P will continue fight to defend the rights of the workers
We will continue our fight against privatization, IRO 2002 and other anti workers policies. We are ready to sacrifice any thing to defeat the privatization. PTCL is build by the workers with their blood and sweet, not by the bureaucrats and generals and they have
No right to decide the fate of the 60000 workers. This was said by the speakers in a seminar organized by Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan in Islamabad on 23rd May.
12 trade unions participated in the seminar to show their solidarity, with the striking telecom workers. The seminar presided over by Azam Janjuah organizer TURC-P Islamabad and Khalid Bhatti National Organiser TURC-P was the chief guest and main speaker. 11 representatives of different unions spoke at the occasion. The main unions
Were, NIC employees association, Wapda Paigham union, Civil Secretariat employees coordination council, Akhbar ferosh union, News papers employees union, the Hawkers union and few other small unions.The main leaders of PTCL trade union action committee were also present in the seminar.
The seminar opened by Azad Qadri organizing secretary TURC-P and gave introduction of TURC-P. The other speakers were Mukhtar ahmad, Muneer Abassi, Shaukat Satti, Aashique hussain, Taufeeq ahmad, Arshad Ali, Malik Saghir, Zahoor Awan and Tahir Abassi.
The speakers condemn the anti working class policies of the present military government.
They all appreciated the role of the TURC-P playing in the strike and protest movement
Of the telecom workers. Khalid bhatti explained the neo liberal economic policies and its impact on the working class. He also asked the leadership of the action committee to continue fight, unless the management accepts all the demands.
These resolutions were passed unanimously,
1- Stop the privatization, downsizing and retrenchment.
2- Stop the massacre of 30000 jobs.
3- No to Imperialist Globalization, IMF and World Bank conditional ties and WTO.
4- Abolish IRO 2002, Labour policy 2002, Removal from service ordinance 2000-1
And all other anti unions laws.
5- We thanks Committee For A Workers International (CWI) for their support and solidarity.
The mood in this seminar was very radical. The second and third lawyer of the leadership in PTCL were very enthused with turn out in the seminar. They were saying that this attendance will help us to mobilize at least 1500 more workers for the public meeting going to be held on 25th May in Islamabad. All the main national news papers gave very good coverage to the seminar.