Solidarity expressed with protesting workers in Islamabad

The National Labour Council (NLC), a representative body of workers, has expressed solidarity with the All Pakistan Employees, Pensioners & Labour Tehreek for its protest for the rights of employees and other workers. It has announced participating in the sit-in on October 14 in Islamabad.

In a meeting of the NLC’s Sindh chapter held on Friday evening, representatives of trade unions and labour support organisations expressed serious concern over workers’ plight in the country due to increasing price hike, the government’s privatisation plan and the laying off of government employees.

The government recently laid off a large number of employees of the Pakistan International Airlines and the Pakistan Steel Mills, and there are reports of further retrenchments. According to reports, the government is reducing the age of retirement from 60 years to 55 years.

The meeting pointed out that this year the government has still not announced minimum wages for unskilled workers, and it has also not increased the salaries of federal government employees.

They said that nowhere in any industry is the minimum wages law being implemented. They blamed the government for failing to implement its laws. They also said that although the Sindh government has formulated a number of labour laws, their implementation remains a matter of concern.