PTCL workers continue protest

The week-long protest of Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) employees against the privatisation of the company continued on Thursday, and the protesting employees held rallies and protest meetings at various places in the provincial capital. The protestors wore black bands around arms and boycotted official work at all 42 exchanges in the city on Thursday, Lahore Telecom Region Employees Union (South) Secretary General Anwar Bhatti told Business Recorder.
"We will not accept anything less than abandoning the privatisation plan of PTCL," he said adding PTCL was a profit-earning entity, therefore, there was no justification for its sell-off. He said workers were united for their common cause and would not bow down to any threat of the government. However, if the workers action committee stroke any deal with the government they would honour it, he pointed out. All PTCL workers have full confidence in their leadership, he stated.
"Our protest is peaceful and will continue till acceptance of our demands," Bhatti said. He further said that PTCL workers of small districts were also joining the strike now.
Meanwhile, due to strike of the employees, PTCL customers are facing server hardships, as their complaints remain unattended. According to an estimate, the number of complaints in Lahore has surged to 5,000, which will keep rising daily if the protest continues.
Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Central Labour Union has also announced full support to the PTCL employees in their struggle against privatisation. The Union announced its support to PTCL employees in a meeting held here on Thursday.
The participants of the meeting later held a rally from Nisbet Road to Laxami Chowk and chanted slogans against the privatisation policy of the government.
Addressing the rally participants, Union leaders Sajjad Hussain Shah, Malik Noor Muhammad, Chaudhry Maqsood expressed solidarity with the PTCL employees and assured them of full support in their just cause. They said the strike was causing huge losses to the national exchequer and that loss could be recovered only after the government withdraw its decision to privatise PTCL. If the government did not bring a positive change in its attitude, Wapda workers would join the PTCL workers protest.