KARACHI: Former Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani on Tuesday called upon all the workers, intellectuals and progressive elements to prepare a counter narrative to get their fundamental rights.
Addressing a workers convention to mark May Day jointly organised by trade unions and labour supporting organizations at Karachi Press Club, Mian Raza Rabbani said trade unions were weakened and students unions were banned in Pakistan under a well-planned strategy.
“The state of Pakistan does not encourage a counter narrative, so it has decided to weaken all other narratives,” he added.
Mian Raza Rabbani said the state wants to impose its own narratives, but it has miserably failed. It has used the tools of divide and rule of British era on divided the workers on linguistic and sectarian basis.
“There are only two forces in Pakistan—oppressors and oppressed, he said adding that the federation of Pakistan would be stronger, until all workers, intellectuals and progressive are not united to counter the state’s narrative.
Senator Rabbani recalled that the so-called “Decades of Reforms” in 1960s was a dark era when the labour movements were weakened and all the fundamental rights were usurped.
“History is witnessed that the oppressed nations have got their rights after a prolonged movements” he said adding that an organized movement is needed.
He said all political or labour issues should not be brought to courts and in the past whenever we have adopted the path of reconciliation, we have lost.
Malik Lal Khan of Trade Unions Defence Campaign said that elite has a control over government, parliament and trade. He said that a worker cannot reach in the parliament because the system has been designed in such a way that only elite can reach there.
He said in 1960s trade unions had a force and they got successes through their movement, but that force has been weakened.
Sindh Health Workers Federation Ms. Bushra Arain said that the lady health workers have fought a struggle for the last 14 years. “We have got ourselves regularised,” she said adding that only unity can solve the problems.
A set of resolutions was passed on the occasion. The resolution demanded the government to implement Supreme Court’s decision regarding contract system. All daily wage employees should be regularised.
All the workers should be brought into social security net, the resolution said adding that laws under the ILO Conventions should be implemented across the board.
The resolution expressed concern over non-availability of health and safety facilities in many industries and commercial units.
The resolution expressed serious concern over worst conditions of agriculture workers in Pakistan and government’s failure to control bonded and child labour. The workers expressed their solidarity with the peasants of Okara who have started a movement for their land rights.
The resolution condemned the plan to privatization plan of PIA and Pakistan Steel and demanded the government to stop privatization of these state owned organizations.
One resolution demanded to implement all labour laws including provision of equal rights to women workers.
Labour leaders who also spoke on the occasion included Karamat Ali of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER), Fahim Siddiqi, President of Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ), Ms. Farhat Perveen of NOW Communities, Liaqat Sahi of State Bank of Pakistan Union, Mirza Maqsood of Pakistan Steel, Zulfiqar Shah of KMC, Qadir Mandokhel, Akbar Narejo of Pakistan Steel union, Yawar Abbas of CBM Union, Malik Naveed of SESSI Union.