KARACHI:Terming retrenchment of Pakistan Steel workers as an unconstitutional and illegal act of the federal government, former Senate Chairman Senator Raza Rabbani has condemned issuance of retrenchment letters to over 4,500 workers.
“All workers bodies and progressive elements in political parties, civil society and academia will resist this anti-workers decision at all forums, he said while speaking at a crowded press conference attended by a number of trade unions of Pakistan Steel and representatives of trade unions of other organization at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday afternoon.
He demanded of the federal government to withdraw all the removal orders and shelve the privatization plan of state institutions. Rabbani said the decision to privatize or sell Pakistan Steel is a part of present government’s intentions to serve the interests of crony-capitalists of the world and international donors.
Federal institutions like Pakistan Steel are included in the federal legislative list Part-II of the Constitution and the Council of Common Interest (CII) is the only constitutional body to decide about privatization of those departments in the list, he said adding that the Federal Cabinet had no power to decide about privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills.
“This is an anti-workers’ government, which has signed an agreement with IMF and other international donors, to privatize all the public institutions and remove employees from these institutions.” There is a big list of institutions to be privatized, he added.
The workers at national carrier PIA are already facing retrenchment as the government has imposed essential services order, due to which trade union activities are banned.
There is a law in Sindh, which states that workers cannot be removed from any organization during the COVID-19 Pandemic and it is illegal to remove thousands of workers from Steel Mills which is located in Sindh province.
On one hand the federal government is removing workers despite pandemic, on the contrary the big business houses are being provided special incentives to increase their businesses during the COVID-19. For example, the Prime Minister had announced with a fanfare to give construction industry a special package; there was a news in the newspapers that oil marketing companies are also receiving incentive packages.
The government had earlier clearly stated =in the Parliament that it was not going to privatize Steel Mills, but later it included Pakistan Steel in the privatization list. Recently the government has issued an advertisement for appointment of the financial advisor for privatization, which means still there is no strategy to privatize the public entities. This step indicated anti-workers attitude of the present government, he remarked.
Steel Mills needed to be made profitable and be operation long ago, but the present government wanted to grab the 90,000 acres of land which is attached with the mills. This is land of Government of Sindh, which was given to set up Steel Mills and if its purpose is changed, the provincial government can get back the land under Acquisition Act.
He pointed out by privatizing the Pakistan Steel, the present government, in fact, provides benefits to the corporate companies like Hubco, Aisha Steel, ISL and At-Tawaki and other companies. These same companies were also involved in a previous decision of Steel Mills privatization in 2005 and Supreme Court had rejected the decision saying that these companies have interest in it.
“It is a dacoity on the provincial resources,” he said adding that Sindh Islands Development Authority was another attempt to grab Sindh’s land. The federal government wanted to take control of all the resources of the provinces.
Speaking on the occasion, Secretary of National Labour Council (NLC) and Executive Director of Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karamat Ali said that entire leadership of the trade unions in Pakistan had announced to support the workers of Pakistan Steel. A Mazdoor Action Committee against Privatization is being formed at the national level by next week, he added.
This united platform of the trade unions would launch a movement against privatization at all public sector organizations including Pakistan Steel Mills, PIA, WAPDA, Railways etc.
Muhammad Yasin Jamro of Insaf Labour Union, CBA said that all trade unions of Pakistan Steel Mills had joined hands irrespective of their political affiliation. He said under the laws, the workers who elected collective bargaining agent (CBA) has to be consulted before any decision of privatization, but in this case, the CBA was not taken into confidence, which is illegal step.
“The CBA has been writing letters to the management and the government to sit with the workers representatives to discuss the problems of Pakistan Steel Mills, but the present government has never paid any heed.”
Although the government’s ministers are saying to offer a golden handshake package to retrenched workers, they have provided only one-month’s advance salary to the workers through the letter sent to the home address of over 4,500 workers. He asked all the workers not receive the letter as the CBA is fighting their case.
He said in the past, the workers had offered the government that they could run the Steel Mills by themselves, but the government seemed to be determined to sell the mills at all costs.
Mirza Maqsood Ahmed of Steel Mills Officers Association, Shamshad Ahmed of Peoples Workers Union, Mahnaz Rahman of Aurat Foundation and others also spoke on the occasion.