Workers protest public utilities’ privatisation

LAHORE
THOUSANDS of workers across the country staged protest demonstrations on Wednesday against the proposed privatization of national public utilities in several cities.
At Lahore, the workers’ protest demonstration was held under the umbrella of All Pakistan Workers Confederation and All Pakistan Wapda Hydroelectric Workers Union. It was attended by workers from the Railway Workers Union, National Bank of Pakistan Employees Union, Irrigation Workers Confederation, and Lesco Engineering Association.
The workers gathered outside the Lahore Press Club carrying banners in support of their demands.
They condemned feudalism, capitalism and proposed privatisation of national public utilities, saying that the plans were being undertaken at the behest of the World Bank against public interest and urged all political parties to adopt a plan of action in this regard.
The protesters demanded the plan tackle the challenges of abject poverty, aggravating unemployment, disparity between rich and poor, child and bonded labour, discrimination against women, feudalism, and provision of safety for Lesco employees.
The rally was addressed by veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed, General Secretary of All Pakistan Workers Confederation, Muhammad Ramzan Butt, General Secretary, and Amjad Hussain Nagra, Senior Vice President Engineering Association, and Rubina Jameel, President, Akbar Ali Khan, Additional General Secretary Rana Shakoor, Sajid Kazmi and other representatives of All Pakistan Workers Confederation.
In a resolution passed in the rally, workers urged the Prime Minister to improve the productivity of national public utilities including electricity, railway, P.I.A. instead of privatization, since the privatization of electricity suppliers in Multan, Rawalpindi and Karachi had miserably failed. By another resolution, the rally expressed complete support and affirmation of the struggle of Armed Forces against terrorism and condemned the killing of innocent citizens of Azad Kashmir by cowardly attack of Indian forces and the killing 132 innocent children at Army Public High School, Peshawar.
In the third resolution, the participants demanded the PM hold dialogue with trade unions on the proposed privatization instead of being dictated by IMF and the World Bank.
Meanwhile, workers also held protest rallies in Quetta, Peshawar, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Sukkur, Rahim Yar Khan, Multan, Faisalabad, Karachi, Hyderabad, and other cities against the privatisation plan.