PTCL wants protestors to come back to work
The statement said that “certain elements” from within the company were working to disrupt its affairs.
ISLAMABAD:
The management of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has urged its employees to call off the strike and resume their duties from Monday. A statement issued here on Sunday termed the ongoing protests illegal and termed the elements involved in it as “disruptive”.
The statement said that “certain elements” from within the company were working to disrupt its affairs, despite the management’s announced compensation package comprising of raises, promotions on the scale of 12-year service and bonuses.
In the statement, PTCL reassured that the employees who responded to the management’s call will be treated with dignity and respect without any prejudice.
The telecom company also announced that salaries and bonuses of all employees who resume their duties on Monday will be released immediately and no disciplinary action will be taken against them. PTCL’s management had earlier withheld the protesting employee’s salaries and bonuses.
Leaders of PTCL employees union, Malik Habib in Islamabad and Malik Mushtaq in Karachi, were not available for comments on the management’s offer as their cell phones were turned off.
This offer by the management of the telecom giant comes after two days of violent protests by hundreds of its workers.
The protests began on Friday when PTCL employees blocked the road in front of their main office in sector G-8 and refused to work. They were demanding that they get a 50 per cent raise on their gross salaries, instead of the announced 50 per cent raise on base salaries.
The protest turned ugly when dozens of protestors clashed with police officials trying to disperse them. In the clash, five police officials suffered injuries with a constable receiving a bullet wound in the arm. More than 35 PTCL employees were arrested in the protest on Friday.
On Saturday, another 12 protestors were arrested in front of Islamabad Press Club when they were gathering to protest against the arrest of their colleagues.
However, no clashes between police and PTCL employees were reported on Sunday.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2010.
The management of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has urged its employees to call off the strike and resume their duties from Monday. A statement issued here on Sunday termed the ongoing protests illegal and termed the elements involved in it as “disruptive”.
The statement said that “certain elements” from within the company were working to disrupt its affairs, despite the management’s announced compensation package comprising of raises, promotions on the scale of 12-year service and bonuses.
In the statement, PTCL reassured that the employees who responded to the management’s call will be treated with dignity and respect without any prejudice.
The telecom company also announced that salaries and bonuses of all employees who resume their duties on Monday will be released immediately and no disciplinary action will be taken against them. PTCL’s management had earlier withheld the protesting employee’s salaries and bonuses.
Leaders of PTCL employees union, Malik Habib in Islamabad and Malik Mushtaq in Karachi, were not available for comments on the management’s offer as their cell phones were turned off.
This offer by the management of the telecom giant comes after two days of violent protests by hundreds of its workers.
The protests began on Friday when PTCL employees blocked the road in front of their main office in sector G-8 and refused to work. They were demanding that they get a 50 per cent raise on their gross salaries, instead of the announced 50 per cent raise on base salaries.
The protest turned ugly when dozens of protestors clashed with police officials trying to disperse them. In the clash, five police officials suffered injuries with a constable receiving a bullet wound in the arm. More than 35 PTCL employees were arrested in the protest on Friday.
On Saturday, another 12 protestors were arrested in front of Islamabad Press Club when they were gathering to protest against the arrest of their colleagues.
However, no clashes between police and PTCL employees were reported on Sunday.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 6th, 2010.