PWF, NPC, RIUJ & CDA Mazdoor Union organize program to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the workers of Chicago

ISLAMABAD, May 01 (SABAH): Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF), National Press Club (NPC), Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) and CDA Mazdoor Union organized a program to pay tribute to the sacrifices of the workers of Chicago.

The ceremony was held at the National Press Club, Islamabad in which former Chairman Senate and Secretary General of Pakistan People’s Party Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, former Prime Minister of Pakistan Raja Pervez Ashraf, Pakistan Muslim League-N Senator Nasir Butt, Secretary General of Pakistan Workers Federation Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin, President National Press Club Azhar Jatoi, Anwar Raza, Ali Raza Alvi, Secretary NPC Nayyar Ali, RIUJ President Tariq Ali Virk, General Secretary Asif Bashir Chaudhry, Shafqatullah Warraich of State Bank Democratic Workers Union, OGDCL Union President Raja Saleem, Ijaz Bukhari, Taxila Cotton Mills Union Munir Akhtar Butt ATV Union Safdar Nafees Pak PWD National Workers Union Chairman Raja Hassan Ali, Khalid Zaman, CDA Mazdoor Union President Aurangzeb Khan, Chairman Raja Shakir Zaman Kayani, Supreme Head Sufi Mehmood Ali, media organizations, labour leaders and officials and workers of trade unions of Rawalpindi/Islamabad participated in large numbers.

Addressing the ceremony on this occasion, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Chaudhry Muhammad Yasin and other leaders said that May Day is the day of renewal of pledges. We pay tribute to the sacrifices of the workers. In 1886, the workers of Chicago sacrificed their lives to determine the working hours for all the workers, thanks to which the workers today perform their duties for eight hours. There is a strong voice of welfare and our party has taken several legislations, promulgation of policies and practical measures for the betterment of the working class. Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto introduced Pakistan’s first comprehensive labour policy in February 1972 and strongly advocated labour in the 1973 constitution. It is a pity that 72 per cent of the victims in Pakistan are still deprived of legal protection and the non-implementation of labour laws is a matter of concern.

They said that the agriculture, domestic workers, construction workers and day laborers in Pakistan still do not have any legal protection. There is no and they are deprived of all the facilities and privileges, despite the ratification of the Constitution of Pakistan and ILO Conventions, still only 5 per cent of the workers in Pakistan have the right to form a union. In this era of inflation, workers are forced to starve and commit suicide, the problems are increasing day by day due to non-registration of workers in EOBI and Social Security, despite the existence of minimum wage laws, it is not being implemented, industrial and informal sector workers. Even today there is a lot of exploitation, the Pakistan Workers Federation is the largest representative organization of the workers whose aim is to protect the welfare of the workers and their rights.

They said that the Pakistan Workers Federation is still raising the voice of the workers’ rights together with various national organizations. It is in this effort that workers across the country can get benefits in EOBI, social security along with legal protection. On the occasion of May Day, we strongly request the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the Federal Minister for Human Resources and Overseas Pakistanis and related institutions to fix the minimum wage of workers in proportion to inflation and ensure its implementation, to improve and simplify the existing labour laws. Amendments should be made in them and new labour laws should be worked on a priority basis, informal sector workers should be legislated to provide them with legal protection, workers’ social security institutions EOBI, social security and ensure registration in Workers Welfare Fund, eliminate child labor and forced labor in the country.

They said that in the name of privatisation, the exploitation of workers should be stopped, political interference in the institutions should be ended so that the institutions can develop, finally, they demanded that an all-party labor conference should be held immediately to solve all the problems of the workers, in which all Stakeholders can participate and make strategies to solve the problems, Pakistan Workers Federation will play its positive role for the rights and protection of workers and assures full cooperation of all concerned institutions including the government.