400 Pakistan Telecom workers arrested by police for opposing privatisation

international | worker & community struggles and protests | press release

Tuesday June 14, 2005 14:51

by Paul - Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan

In a brutal escalation of repression, the Pakistani government ordered widescale arrests of telecommunication workers fighting to defeat privatisation. Police raided homes and arrested family members when they could not find telecommunication workers they were looking for. This is similar tactics to that used by the US army who take relatives as hostages when they raid homes in Iraq.

In a brutal escalation of repression, the Pakistani government ordered widescale arrests of telecommunication workers fighting to defeat privatisation. Police raided homes and arrested family members when they could not find telecommunication workers they were looking for. This is similar tactics to that used by the US army who take relatives as hostages when they raid homes in Iraq.
The government has also unilaterally announced the privatisation of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Ltd (PTCL) to begin on 18 June. This completely breaks an agreement signed on Friday 4 June following a ten day strike of the telecommunication workers in which the government agreed to the indefinite postponement of the privatisation process.
The government has effectively implemented a lock out of the workforce by refusing to allow workers from grades 1 – 16 in the industry to enter telecommunications depots. In all the main depots paramilitary police and soldiers from the army have been deployed.
The unions leadership have said that they will jam the telecommunications system from June 15 unless all workers are released and privatisation plans are dropped.
The National Industrial Relations Committee has temporarily banned all trade unions from operating within the PTCL. As well as this all demonstrations and protests are now banned within 200m of telecommunications depots.
Trade Unionists from the joint Action Committee of nine telecoms unions have issued a call for letters of protest to be sent to the following addresses: Awais Leghari, Minister Telecom and Information Technology, minister@moitt.gov.pk and to turcpakistan@yahoo.com making the following demands:
Release all telecommunications workers and trade unionists leaders taken into custody. Stop the crackdown now. No more arrests
For the immediate withdrawal of all paramilitary and police forces from in and around PTCL premises
Honour the 4 June agreement – No to the privatisation of PTCL
Full support to PTCL workers fighting privatisation

Press release ends
For further information please contact Kevin Simpson on 07904 973820 or Ken Smith on 07840 168071 or 020 8988 8778

Notes to editors:
- The Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan is an organisation set up recently to publicise the conditions of workers and Trade Unions in Pakistan internationally.
- Interviews with telecommunications trade union leaders can be arranged.

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Comments (4 of 4)

Telecom workers fight privatisation

by Farooq Tariq

Fri Jun 17, 2005 17:34

Pakistan media have reported that the Pakistan government on Friday (3rd June) postponed the privatisation of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) for an unspecified period upon which PTCL’s Employees Union conditionally called off their strike to negotiate with the management. The union said it would resume its strike if the management did not honour their agreement. Shortly before this development we received the following report on the conduct of this significant action.

Strike enters 7th Day
The PTCL unions strike against privatisation entered its 7th day. Over 62000 workers are taking part in one of the most militant actions by a section of the working class in Pakistan. The 9 unions in the telecommunication sector are all united and have refused to postpone the strike even after offers of over 3 billion rupees in concessions. "The offer is of secondary nature, our main demand is an end to privatisation" says Rana Tahir of the United Action Committee of the telecommunication employees. The Committee is heading the strike.

PTCL offices empty...Workers across Pakistan have taken over the telephone offices and the management is not being allowed to enter the buildings. All telephone exchanges are under workers control. The workers have not yet cut off telephone lines, but have refused to work for the services. The result is that thousands of telephones have to wait for repairs.

An information service and telephone operators are working.

There have been sit-ins in all the telephone exchanges. Meetings of thousands of workers have taken place in many parts of the country.

..with strikers outside
The workers have threatened that if their demands were not met they would close down all the telephone lines on 6th June. They have also threatened that if any of the workers’ leaders is arrested they will immediately shut down all the telephone lines. So far no arrest has been made although police and rangers are deployed at all telephone exchanges.

The government wanted to privatise this profitable company by June 10th. The telecom minister is adamant to go ahead despite the strike but workers are also replying in the same vein.

Labour Party Pakistan organised the first solidarity demonstration on 26th May, the day the strike started in Lahore. Several hundreds of workers came along to participate in the demo. A special edition of the LPP’s weekly paper Mazdoor Jeddojuhd is being printed on the issue. A poster explaining 21 reasons to oppose the privatisation is also being printed.

The strike has paralysed the whole plan of the government for privatisation.

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Farooq Tariq is the general secretary of Labour Party Pakistan.