They pressed the trade unions to join hands in opposing the ongoing privatisation drive.
The conference was organised by the Awami Workers Party (AWP) at the National Press Club here on Thursday. Many trade unions from the public and private sector organisations took part in the conference.
The participants shared their data and experiences about the adverse impact of privatisation not just on workers, but also on consumers and the economy at large.
AWP President Abid Hasan Minto said the state was supposed to serve the people and not simply be a profit-maker. He said it was the state’s responsibility to ensure provision of fundamental services to the people, but it had failed since the start of privatisation process.
He added when discussing the privatisation of public sector enterprises, no one ever spoke about the hidden subsidies to some enterprises.
AWP Labour Secretary Zahoor Khan said there was a critical and urgent need to rethink the privatisation policies, which successive governments had been following since 1988.
He said the policies being followed were part of the neo-liberal consensus forced on developing countries by the IMF and World Bank since the 1980s and had contributed to the worsening of economic situation in the country.
Speaking on the occasion, Wapda Labour Union representative Zafarullah Khan Niazi said the privatisation policies had ruined the energy sector and led to higher electricity prices and prolonged load-shedding.
He added the government was still spending billions on subsidising the private investors, though consumers had to face hours-long outages and higher prices.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 5th, 2014.
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