ISLAMABAD, April 30: Former premier and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto has expressed solidarity with the working class and said that her party would not abandon the labourers, the peasants, the government servants and the daily wage earners in their struggle for emancipation and freeing themselves from the shackles of exploitation.

In her message on International Labour Day, issued by the PPP media cell here on Wednesday, Ms Bhutto said it was a great pity that on the eve of this Day the working class of the country were haunted by the new Industrial Relations Ordinance, which strikes at their basic and fundamental rights.

The PPP will not be deterred and stand shoulder to shoulder with the workers of the country and fight for their rights and undo the anti-workers ordinances and laws, she said.

The former premier said the PPP was committed to the welfare of the working class and will continue to work for their welfare. “The PPP has always derived its strength from the working class and it had always fought for their rights and will continue to do so in the future as well”, she said.

The party will restore the rights of workers when it came into power, she declared.

She deplored that the regime had thrown out of jobs thousands of poor people in the name of rightsizing and downsizing. “It is a grim thought on this May Day that while the serving and retired military officers are being inducted into civilian jobs in hordes at hefty perks and salaries, the poor employees in the civil departments are being thrown out of jobs”.

She also recalled the valiant and heroic struggle of the Chicago workers who had laid their lives for the collective right of the working class. She paid rich tribute to the Chicago martyrs for their struggle against oppressive socio-economic system a century ago.

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Abdul Sattar Laleka has said the government is committed to welfare of workers by providing better housing, working conditions and health cover.

The minister, in his May Day message, said: “May 1 — the International Day of Workers’ Struggle - the single day celebrated in the world, which pays tribute to the sacrifices of the workers who laid down their lives for the cause and rights of workers.

This day reminds us that there is always success for hard work, welfare of the people and their families, truth and justice.”

Mr Laleka said the government perceived its role as of a facilitator to promote bilateral industrial relations, which were important for the development of the country.

The role of workers is pivotal for economic development of the country, the minister said.

Earlier, Federal Secretary of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis, said: “May Day is observed all over the world to commemorate the courageous deeds of the workers who sacrificed their lives at Chicago in 1886 for the genuine rights of the working class.”