classwarfare

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Friday, 24 May 2013

Pakistan Trade Union solidarity rally against "slaughterhouses of workers."

Posted on 10:45 by Unknown
Press Release
 
‘Stop factories from becoming slaughterhouses of workers ‘

Karachi workers stage rally to express solidarity with Baldia, Dhaka garment factories martyrs
 
Karachi, May 24: The governments and International Brands are directly responsible for the gory incidents in Ali Enterprises Baldia Karachi and garment factories of Dhaka, Bangladesh, as their criminal negligence resulted in loss of lives of thousands of innocent workers. Strict steps should be taken to ensure proper safety of workers and stop turning the factories into slaughterhouses of workers.
 
This was said by labor leaders, addressing a large rally in front of Karachi Press Club (KPC) here Friday, staged by National Trade Unions Federation Pakistan (NTUFP) to express solidarity with the martyrs of garment workers of Bangladesh.
 
They said to avoid repetition of Karachi and Dhaka tragedies it is necessary that local and international labor laws be strictly applied in all textile and garment factories. The international industrial safety standards for labor should be implemented to save the lives of workers.
 
A large number of workers, trade union activists, political leaders, representatives of human rights organizations, intellectuals and students attended the rally. Carrying banners and placards they chanted slogans demanding safety measures for the factory workers.
 
The speakers said millions of Pakistani and Bangladeshi workers are related to textile and garment industries; however, in both countries these workers are even deprived of the rights guaranteed to them under the local constitutions and labor laws. They said working conditions for these labors are very poor and they have to work 12 to 14 hours a day. They said hardly 3percent of these workers are registered with social security institutions. In their factories trade unions and collective bargaining agents are virtually non-existent. Many big factories, working for decades, have not even bothered to get themselves registered.
 
They said due to the pressure of influential industrialists, the process of labor inspection is put on the back burner. Resultantly, the number of industrial accidents has risen sharply. Three major human tragedies in such factories in short span of eight months have diverted the world attention to this sensitive issue. These incidents started with a huge fire in Ali Enterprises, Balida Karachi, burning alive more than 300 garment workers. Then in November 2012 more than 150 workers perished in fire in a Dhaka factory and recently more than 1200 workers died in collapse of a building in Dhaka, housing garments factories. All these incidents took place in the garment factories that make garments for renowned international brands. These international brands in order to maximize their profits through the use of cheap labor are violating all local and international laws.
 
They said it is a misfortune that in the 21st century after death of thousands of workers in these industrial accidents a discussion on the basic rights of workers has started. They said it is inevitable that the local and international labor laws should be implemented in consultation with the labor unions and workers’ organizations, and all international brands be made bound not to begin production till ensuring adherence to local and international labour standards and laws.
 
Paying glowing tributes to these martyrs, the speakers said their sacrifices would give a new spur to the international workers movement, and the repetition of these incidents would not be allowed. They welcomed the agreements between international brands and labor organizations especially "IndustriALL Global Union" after the Dhaka incidents and demanded that the sphere of these agreements should be extended to Pakistan and other countries. They demanded to give legal cover to these agreements and make bound the international brands to follow them. They criticized some international brands like Wal-Mart and GAP who have opposed these pacts and termed it anti-labor attitude.
 
The rally demanded adequate safety measures in all industries and factories. The use of social audit institute certification and code of conduct as substitute to labor laws should be declared illegal. The bereaved families of victims of Ali Enterprises Karachi and Rana Plaza Dhaka should be given compensation as per demands of the labor unions. The process of labor inspection should be revived and made further effective. All factories should be registered as per laws. All workers should be given appointment letters and social security cards. Labors should be given their rights of trade union and collective bargaining agent. The minimum wages should be fixed at Rs20000 per month. All international brands should be made bound to follow international labor standard.
 
Those spoke the rally include NTUF president Muhammad Rafiq Baloch, general secretary Ghani Zaman Awan, deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor, labor leader Usman Baloch, Gul Rehman of Workers Rights Movement, Riaz Abbasi of Atlas Battery, NTUF Balochistan president Allah Warraya Lassi, president of Gadani Ship Breaking Labor Union Bashir Ahmed Mahmoodani, Ghulam Muhammad of Landhi Action Committee, Muhammad Aslam of Kohinoor Employees Union, president Al-Ettehad Power Looms Workers Union Abdul Muhammad, Shaikh Majeed of PIA, Muhammad Mubeen of Mactor Pharma, Razaq Kachelo, Rashid Abbasi and others
 
Issued by: 
Nasir Mansoor
National Trade Unions Federation Pakistan
+92300 3587211
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in asia, Pakistan, worker's struggle | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Austerity USA Begins March 1st:
    We reprint this article for the interest of our readers. Facts For Working People is not affiliated with Workers' Action. To read more f...
  • Amtrak: Washington DC to Huntington, West Virginia
    A Poem by Kevin Higgins   At Union Station hope is a t-shirt on sale at seventy per cent off. Yesterday, all the bow-tied barristers gather...
  • Starvation, poverty and disease are market driven.
    by Richard Mellor Afscme Local 444, retired What a tragedy. A beautiful little boy who should be experiencing all the pleasures that a heal...
  • The NSA, Snowden, spying on Americans, Brazilians and everyone else
    We reprint this article by Glenn Greenwald which includes the video . It is from the Guardian UK via Reader Supported News . The Charlie R...
  • Kaiser cancelled from AFL-CIO convention
    A short CNA clip from Kaiser nurses.  The AFL-CIO convention was apparently ready to applaud kaiser as the model health care provider.  The ...
  • Remembering 911
  • Buffet and Lemann: two peas in pod
    Jorge Lemann: won't eat what he produces by Richard Mellor GED Afscme local 444, retired In a previous piece I commen...
  • Austerity hits troops as rations are cut
    The organizers of this blog have explained that US capitalism cannot afford to keep its massive military machine working at its present leve...
  • A poem on the 74th Anniversary of Trotsky's murder
                                                                                  You Are The Old Man In The Blue House                        ...
  • Cambodians clash with cops over land grabs
    Like China, there are repeated clashes between authorities and the population over the government's seizure of land for developers. Ther...

Categories

  • Afghanistan (4)
  • Africa (8)
  • Afscme 444 (1)
  • anti-war movement (1)
  • art (6)
  • asia (15)
  • austerity (29)
  • Australia (4)
  • auto industry (3)
  • bailout (10)
  • bangladesh (9)
  • banks (11)
  • BART (13)
  • body image (4)
  • bradley Manning (17)
  • Britain (22)
  • California (17)
  • california public sector (18)
  • Canada (6)
  • capitalism (44)
  • catholic church (10)
  • child abuse. (1)
  • China (2)
  • consciousness (3)
  • debt (3)
  • Democrats (4)
  • domestic violence (7)
  • drug industry (6)
  • economics (43)
  • education (9)
  • Egypt (5)
  • energy (7)
  • environment (12)
  • EU (18)
  • family (1)
  • financialization (1)
  • food production (7)
  • gay rights (2)
  • globalization (17)
  • greece (3)
  • gun rights (4)
  • health care (13)
  • homelessness (4)
  • housing (3)
  • hugo chavez (4)
  • human nature (6)
  • humor (4)
  • immigration (2)
  • imperialism (14)
  • india (4)
  • indigenous movement (4)
  • Internet (1)
  • iran (4)
  • Iraq (4)
  • ireland (22)
  • Israel/Palestine (13)
  • Italy (3)
  • Japan (7)
  • justice system (11)
  • labor (15)
  • Latin America (17)
  • marxism (52)
  • mass media (4)
  • mass transit (1)
  • Mexico (4)
  • middle east (24)
  • minimum wage (4)
  • movie reviews (1)
  • music (2)
  • nationalism (2)
  • NEA (1)
  • Nigeria (1)
  • non-union (11)
  • nuclear (3)
  • Oakland (5)
  • Obama (14)
  • occupy oakland (2)
  • occupy wall street (1)
  • oil industry (2)
  • OUSD (1)
  • Pakistan (3)
  • Pensions (2)
  • police brutality (6)
  • politicians (6)
  • politics (22)
  • pollution (11)
  • poverty (7)
  • prisons (8)
  • privatization (6)
  • profits (21)
  • protectionism (2)
  • public education (9)
  • public sector (15)
  • public workers (6)
  • racism (18)
  • rape (2)
  • Religion (10)
  • Russia (1)
  • San Leandro (2)
  • sexism (21)
  • sexual violence (2)
  • Snowden (7)
  • socialism (22)
  • soldiers (1)
  • solidarity (1)
  • South Africa (15)
  • Spain (2)
  • speculation (1)
  • sport (2)
  • strikes (35)
  • students (3)
  • surveillance (1)
  • Syria (9)
  • tax the rich (4)
  • taxes (1)
  • Teachers (6)
  • Team Concept (4)
  • terrorism (22)
  • the right (2)
  • Trayvon Martin (3)
  • turkey (3)
  • UAW (3)
  • unemployment (1)
  • union-busting (3)
  • unions (51)
  • US economy (22)
  • us elections (6)
  • US foreign policy (41)
  • US military (26)
  • veterans (1)
  • wall street criminals (13)
  • War (15)
  • wealth (9)
  • wikileaks (12)
  • women (26)
  • worker's party (2)
  • worker's struggle (65)
  • workers (44)
  • Workers International Network (1)
  • world economy (28)
  • youth (5)
  • Zionism (13)

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2013 (410)
    • ►  September (21)
    • ►  August (54)
    • ►  July (55)
    • ►  June (43)
    • ▼  May (41)
      • The euro recovery: half full or half empty?
      • Does Adam Levine Really Hate America?
      • Why Disinformation Works. In America
      • We've moved on from the Iraq war – but Iraqis don'...
      • The capitalist system will not, change so we must ...
      • Ireland: Press Release from No 2CrokePark2
      • South Africa: NUMSA National Executive Committee S...
      • Right wing demagogue's violent sexist assault on H...
      • Pakistan Trade Union solidarity rally against "sla...
      • Noam Chomsky on terrorism, the mass media and US f...
      • Statement on the Woolwich Murder
      • Moore Oklahoma school deaths could have been avoid...
      • Woolwich UK: British Muslims hack young soldier to...
      • Oklahoma Tornado and Climate Change Censorship.
      • Caterpillar leads the way in US capitalism's war o...
      • The Death of Baroness Thatcher
      • Global retailers look to cover their asses in wake...
      • Environmental crisis: Capitalism destroying the fu...
      • EU Economy: Europe deep in the mire
      • The world is rich. The problem is the rich contro...
      • LGBTQ supporters protest S F Pride Board's shunnin...
      • Oakland Teacher Speaks Truth to Those Who Won't As...
      • Worker's viewpoint: Which is "our" side in the Syr...
      • Challenge Magazine: Israel, Assad, and the world
      • Glenn Greenwald reveals the limits of Maher's libe...
      • 800 dead in Bangladesh: Fight global capitalism wi...
      • Proponents of ‘First Strike’ Nuclear War against I...
      • Is Obama a Keynesian? An in depth analysis
      • Suspend Oakland Schools Superintendent Tony Smith
      • Global Economy: Boom or crawl?
      • Video: Charles Ramsey rescues Cleveland women; rem...
      • Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Antiques Road Show
      • Ireland and women's health: Dublin Meeting for Abo...
      • 600 Bangladeshi workers killed by capitalism. Onl...
      • Keynes: being gay and caring for the future of our...
      • US and Israel Middle East policy threatens us all.
      • Lobbyists, politicians and owners responsible for ...
      • International Workers' Day around the world
      • West Texas: Was it a dream?
      • Happy Mayday: Workers of all Countries Unite
      • Economics: More confusions on the recovery
    • ►  April (49)
    • ►  March (56)
    • ►  February (46)
    • ►  January (45)
  • ►  2012 (90)
    • ►  December (43)
    • ►  November (47)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile