The Postal Action Committee for Anti-privatisation, an alliance of different unions, organised the demonstration. It has planned to hold more such protests.
Syed Akhtar Ahmed and Syed Qamar Abbas Zaidi, central leaders of the Postal Action Committee, while speaking to the employees, termed the proposed privatisation an “economic genocide of 47,000 employees of the department.” They said that the state-run unit is the cheapest mode of postal services. They alleged that privatisation was aimed at appeasing the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank and vowed to resist such attempts.
The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with calls for stopping the privatisation, allowing the department to introduce reforms, restructuring of the department in consultation with trade unions to modernise postal services and running the organisation on modern lines.
The protesters also demanded a green signal from the government for using Post Office for distribution of funds under the Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme, abolition of two postal ministries to reduce the financial burden and restriction on other courier services.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2011.
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