A large number of postal employees on Wednesday staged demonstration at I. I. Chundrigar Road to lodge protest against government's reported move to privatise Pakistan Post Office Department. Postal Action Committee for Anti-Privatisation (alliance of Collective Bargaining Unions) had organised the demonstration as a part of protest movement. The Action Committee has planned more such demonstrations.
Syed Akhtar Ahmed and Syed Qamar Abbas Zaidi, central leaders of Postal Action Committee, while addressing the agitating employees termed the privatisation move as economic genocide of 47,000 employees of the department.
The trade union leaders said that in 1992 the then government had accorded status of corporation to this department but later restored it to its original position as the post office department was profit-earning and being a saving bank and life insurance department the people had deposited billions of rupees in it. Besides it was cheapest means of postal services, they added.
They alleged that the privatisation move was aimed at pleasing the IMF and World Bank and vowed to foil such designs. The protestors carried the banners and placards inscribed with demands which include stopping the privatization move forthwith; allowing post office department to introduce reforms on its own; restructuring the department in consultation with CBA unions to modernise postal services and make the department a financial institution on modern lines; allowing opening of savings accounts under Benazir Bhutto Income Support Programme, abolishing two postal ministries to reduce financial burden and restricting other courier services from operating in the country.
According to official data, there are 12,339 post offices in the country with 47,000 employees and daily business transaction of Rs 1.8 billion. The department generates yearly revenue of Rs 6.2 billion. Under a plan, the Pakistan Post Office Department was to be divided into two entities - Pakistan Post Services Company and Pakistan Post Bank under the roof of one holding company.