KARACHI: A two-day joint meeting of labour federations affiliated with IndustriALL Global Union (IGU) was held under the chairmanship of labour leader Sajjad Hussain Gardezi at a local hotel on Thursday.

Representatives from 10 labour organisations across the country attended the meeting, including the National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Pakistan Textile Workers Federation (PTWF), Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation (CMLP), All Pakistan Oil & Gas Employees Federation (APOGEF), All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (APWHEWU), Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF), Ittehad Labour Union Carpet Industry Pakistan (ILUCIP), Pakistan Mines Workers Federation (PMWF), Pakistan Textile Garments Leather Workers Federation (PTGLWF), and Pakistan Federation of Chemical and Energy, Mines & General Workers Union (PCEM).

In a joint statement, the workers’ bodies rejected the Sindh and Punjab Labour Codes, labelling them as ‘anti-worker.’

The meeting also expressed deep concern over the government’s privatisation policy for public entities and the rising number of workplace accidents. It was decided that a nationwide protest would be held on October 7 against the labour codes, privatisation, and workplace accidents.

The Secretary of the Employers Federation of Pakistan, Syed Nazar Ali, expressed serious reservations about the labour codes, stating that they were introduced without stakeholder consultation and would not be accepted.

During the meeting, office bearers for the IndustriALL Pakistan Council were elected: Syed Ijaz Bukhari as Chairperson, Sultan Muhammed as President, Nasir Mansoor as General Secretary, with Niaz Khan, Sajjad Gardezi, and Sarzameen Afghani as Vice Presidents. Nowsher Khan was appointed as Deputy General Secretary, Abul Hassan Shah as Joint Secretary, Zia Syed as Press Secretary, Muhammad Saleem as Finance Secretary, and Saira Feroze as Women’s Secretary.

The meeting called for tripartite labour conferences at the provincial and federal levels to formulate labour policies in consultation with all stakeholders and to create worker-friendly laws. It also demanded an end to the anti-national act of privatisation and urged for safer workplaces.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2024