• Regal Chowk witnesses biggest gathering of workers
• Mehnatkash Rally participants express solidarity with people of Gaza
• Govt, IMF slammed for ‘anti-worker policies’

KARACHI: The 138th anniversary of the martyrs of Chicago brought out the red banners and all hard-working people, including men, women, children and transgender people, from across the city to show their numbers and air their grievances. They called out the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies for their ‘anti-worker policies’ and demanded a living wage instead of a minimum wage.

The biggest gathering was seen at the Regal Chowk on Wednesday, which then moved towards the Karachi Press Club in the form of the Mehnatkash Rally organised by the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF).

This year they were also holding up Palestinian flags in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

Some held up the red and Palestinian flags high as they marched forward, some used them into armbands while others turned them into bandanas to tie around their sweaty foreheads. It was a hot day but the workers were also used to a hard life.

The motivational song played all along the way, encouraging labourers to demand their rights, also helped in providing some inspiration though ironically it was a song from an old Indian movie Mazdoor. One realised there aren’t even any noteworthy songs produced for workers in this country.

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Speaking on the occasion HBWWF leader comrade Zehra Khan said that nothing had changed for workers in the last 138 years since the movement for workers started in 1886, in Chicago, Illinois. “Today the minimum monthly wage here is Rs32,000 and many employers don’t even pay that amount to the poor workers. We are demanding that at least make the minimum wage Rs50,000 and also think of taking it up further to a living wage, which in these times of inflation, is Rs74,000 as per our estimates,” she said, adding that the government instead of providing protection to workers was bent on rendering them jobless in the name of privatisation.

“There are some 178 entities that have been privatised for six billion dollars and the majority of them are closed now and no one knows where the money obtained from their privatisation has gone,” she said.

NTUF central general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that the main motive of the May Day movement so many years ago was to determine an eight-hour working day but 90 per cent of workers even today work for 12 to 16 hours a day.

“In Pakistan today, less than one per cent of the eight and half crore workforce is availing the benefit of trade unions. In the private sector, the ratio of trade unions is only half of that. Around 62 per cent of our labour force belongs to the services and industrial sectors, producing 84 per cent of total national production or about 285 billion dollars. Of these workers, 95 per cent don’t even have appointment letters. Despite the order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the illegal contractual system of hiring workers continues in our country. There are also no facilities of social security and pension for these workers,” he said.

Labour leader Rafique Baloch said that the policies of global lenders, especially the IMF, had made the lives of the masses a living hell. “They face price hikes, inflation, joblessness and diseases,” he said.

“Utility bills, medicines and food prices have gone beyond the reach of the masses. Healthcare, education and services are commercialised,” he added.

Fatima Majeed of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) said that fisherfolk were not even acknowledged as workers by the state. “We also have our rights but we are not even provided social security,” she said.

Other participants in the rally included HRCP vice chairman Qazi Khizar, Gul Rehman of NTUF, Saeed Baloch of PFF, comrade Ramzan Memon and Shahina Ramzan of National Awami Party, Muhammad Siddique and Hasina Khatoon of Baldia Factory Fire Affectees Association, Iqbal Abro and Himat Phulpoto of Textile General Workers Union, Khaliq Zadran of Awami Huqooq, Bakht Zameen of SITE Labour Forum and Azam Kakar of Pakistan Paper union.

KPC seminar on media workers

The Karachi Press Club (KPC) organised a seminar on the topic of ‘Economic exploitation of media workers’ on the occasion of Labour Day.

Addressing the seminar, former chairman senate and senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party Mian Raza Rabbani, the chief guest on the occasion, said that the state exploits media workers. “The power of media workers has been eliminated under a well thought out plan by the state, wage boards awards are not implemented and trade unions have become weak,” he said.

“The trade unions were playing an active role in the past and even during the Ziaul Haq era, two major forces emerged in the form of student unions and labour unions, which were then banned and squashed through various restrictions, which could not even be removed by subsequent governments,” he said.

Coming to media workers, he said that at this time, there were only three to four unions left in the industry, which was sad.

KPC president Saeed Sarbazi, secretary Shoaib Ahmed, senior journalist and analyst Mazhar Abbas, Mahnaz Rahman of Aurat Foundation and secretary general of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists A.H. Khanzada also spoke.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2024