Protesting dismissal: Swabi police arrests former tobacco employees

PPP Swabi President Javed Iqbal and General Secretary Ali Khan condemned the arrests via a statement

SWABI:

Police arrested 35 labourers in Swabi Thursday morning for protesting against the termination of 141 employees from a leading tobacco manufacturing company. Labourers took to the streets where they blocked roads, thereby disrupting traffic. The protest continued for nearly six hours.

The administration of Swabi took action and arrested all protesters, including Ibrarullah, the president of labour union of the company in question – Philip Morris Pakistan Limited. They were all transferred to the prison in DI Khan.

Pakistan Peoples Party Swabi President Javed Iqbal and General Secretary Ali Khan condemned the arrests via a statement.  They said the K-P government was making the underprivileged suffer. The two demanded the government resolve the issue or more protests
will be held.

In a conference held at Swabi the same day, Fazal Raheem, the spokesperson of Awami Workers Party also expressed his outrage, saying the government should take actions against the administration, free the arrested labourers and reinstate them.

The tobacco company had dismissed 141 employees of the company despite a stay order by the high court. As a result, the employees along with members of the company’s labour union held protests in Peshawar and Swabi several times. The company issued a rejoinder in The Express Tribune, saying it did what it could for the labourers by providing them with a strong golden handshake but it cannot reinstate them.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 8^th, 2016.