Pakistan Workers Confederation, a conglomerate of seven federation of labour unions have called upon the government to adopt a policy of "National Economic Self Reliance" to control inflation and ensure sustained economic growth. In a press conference on Tuesday, the confederation urged the government to take immediate steps to check rising inflation, unemployment, widening gap between rich and the poor and deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
They said that instead of imposing Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) on consumer goods and essential commodities, government should expand the tax-base and reduce interest rates. This, they added, would ensure sustain industrial and the agriculture sectors for generation of greater employment opportunities.
They further demanded that the government should recover heavy written off loans and plundered national wealth from the elite and VIPs and impose tax on the rich to 'come out of the clutches of IMF and the World Bank'. The labour union leaders claimed that Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) management has unlawfully stopped payment of salaries to 600 workers and terminated services of more than 250 workers and trade union representatives including Secretary General of Pakistan Telecom Employees Union (CBA).
They alleged that false cases were registered against the employees under Anti-Terrorism Act for demanding 50 percent increase in pay as announced by the Prime Minister in his budget speech. The cases were registered despite the fact that the High Court had ordered PTCL management to hold negotiations with the union representatives to resolve the matter, they maintained.
The confederation demanded government to build new hydel and coal-fired thermal power stations to provide cheaper and sufficient electricity to all sectors instead of high priced energy being produced by independent private thermal power and rental power stations, which has burdened the national exchequer.
They alleged that Wapda and Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) in the interest of the nation, are supplying electricity to private company like Karachi Electric Supply Co which has not been paying a single penny to Wapda despite getting up-to 700 MW electricity daily. They added that recent agreement of Pepco with Turkish Power Co has added fuel to fire by asking LAKHRA GENCO to supply KESC electricity at the rate of rupees six per unit, while purchasing it from the Turkish company at rupees12 per unit.
They demanded KESC and government departments to immediately pay Wapda's dues to ensure investment in national projects, while government should resist privatisation of Power Wing/Wapda, as it would be detrimental for the country.
Leaders of Wapda workers union, PTCL, Railway Workers Union, Municipal Corporation, Public Works Department, Passco, namely Khurshid Ahmad, Mohammad Yaqub, Ch. Gulzar Ahmad, Yousuf Baloch, Rana Mohammad Hussain, Fazal-e-Wahid, Qari Taj Mohammad, Salah-ud-Din Ayubi, Rana Latafa, Ch.l Naseem IQbal, Osama Tariq and others addressed the press conference and highlighted the problems of workers.
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