A view of a rally of tankers taken out by All Pakistan Tankers Owners Association of Pakistan to mark international Labour Day in Rawalpindi. PHOTO: AGHA MEHROZE/EXPRESS
Gathered under the auspices of the All Pakistan Workers Confederation (APWC), workers from different organisations first gathered outside the Rawalpindi Press Club where they held an extensive demonstration.
Thereafter, dozens of flag and banner-bearing labourers marched under the beating sun on Murree Road as they paid tribute to the historic sacrifice of Chicago labourers.
During their demonstration, the workers demanded that the wages and salaries of the government employees should be raised in the upcoming budget as per proportionate increase in the inflation rate.
They also called for regularization of all contractual and daily-wage workers and asked the government to shun the anti-state agenda of privatization of public institutions.
Other demands included providing a special discount package for the holy month of Ramazan apart from taking immediate measures to reduce prices of essential items such as fuel, sugar, flour, ghee, rice, lentils, vegetables and other daily use products.
The demonstration was led by renowned labor rights leader Zafarullah Khan Niazi while APWC deputy Secretary Muhammad Akram Banda, All Pakistan Wapda Hydro and Electric Workers Union (CBA) Regional Chairman Javed Iqbal Baloch, Muhammad Ramzan Jadoon, Tariq Niazi, Aftab Rafiq, Sajjad Hussain Sajid, Anaar Gul, Hameedullah Shah Kazmi, All Pakistan PWD Worker Federation’s Nazeer Javed, Rana Tariq Majeed, Railway Workers Union’s Tahir Bhatti, Abdul Sattar Tara, Pakistan Muzdoor Muhaaz leader Qazi Ahmed Naeem Qureshi, Malik Nawaz, Irrigation Department’s Shabbir Ahmed Janjua, Agricultural Bank’s representative Iqbal Khattak, Oil Tankers Association’s Aslam Niazi and labour rights leaders and representatives from other progressive organizations also participated in the event.
The speakers maintained that a conspiracy was being hatched to weaken the labour rights movement and that the parliament was still under control of feudal landlords and capitalists who had no interest in the welfare of the labourers, workers and the salaried classes.
They accused the government of subjecting labourers and the salaried class to unprecedented misery in the name of change.
The common man, they said, is being torn apart due to immense inflation while educated youngsters remain deprived of jobs.
On the other side, leaders of the confederation maintained that labourers and workers from all over the country were united against the capitalistic mindset in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2019.
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