LAHORE — The Dada Bhai Cement Factory in the Norrieabad District, in Sind province, has become the focus of attention of Pakistan's labour movement. Sixty of the factory's workers have lost their jobs for attempting to forming a union. Thirteen have been charged with breaking the industrial peace and other "crimes".
The workers had applied to the National Industrial Relations Commission of Pakistan (NIRC) to register a union called the Progressive Labour Union (PLU) Dada Bhai Cement Factory. They elected Younas Rahoo as the union's general secretary and affiliated the PLU to the Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation (WDMF), the main component of the Pakistan Workers Confederation.
Opposing the application, the bosses argued in the court that there already exists a union so no new one is required. However, the existing union is a yellow union which was registered by the bosses years ago to stop attempts to form a genuine workers' union. Some of the registered union's officials have left the country and four are now dead.
Before the court case, factory managers had visited Younas's village and offered his family 2 million rupees (US$40,000) to stop his union activity. His father rejected the bribe.
The local NIRC judge decided against the workers and within 24 hours, police had arrested nine of the workers, including Younas Rahoo. The WDMF secretary-general, Aziz Abbasi, applied for bail for the nine, who were released after three days in jail. However, on July 4 there were two more arrests.
Most of the union activists have now gone into hiding, fearing arrest. The underground activists held a media conference on July 5 at Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) office in Karachi, where they reiterated their commitment to form the union.
Since then, 60 workers have lost their jobs at the factory for collecting funds for the new union. Most have returned to their villages, but 11 have decided to stay and fight until the union is formed. They have appealed at the NIRC in Islamabad against the decision of the local judge.
On July 29, 40 workers demonstrated outside the Hyderabad Press Club to demand the reinstatement of the 60 and recognition of the PLU. On July 30, the more than 300 people attending a "No to IMF, World Bank, Do Not Pay the Debts" conference organised by the LPP unanimously supported these demands. The leaders of the factory union addressed the conference.
On July 23, more than 300 railway workers at a meeting at the Rawalpindi Press Club demanded the reinstatement of the cement factory workers. Several more meetings in Sind are planned for August, to be followed by a mass meeting of workers at the cement factory gate in September.
Since last October when the military coup in Pakistan, there has been a ban on strikes and public political activities. The bosses have taken the opportunity to attack the unions.
All of the workers arrested are members of the LPP. The party held its first congress in April, in Lahore, which was attended by most of those who have since been arrested. The LPP has publicly opposed the military regime from day one.
The military regime wants to implement of the economic agenda of the IMF and World Bank. That means laying off more than 100,000 workers. Only the unions can fight this onslaught, which is why the bosses are trying to stop unions from forming and taking action.
But workers like those at the cement factory are determined to go on fighting. They need your support. Please send protest messages to: (1) Hasan Dada Bhai Dada Bhai Cement Factory, fax +92 21 491 8476, email <mhdadabhoy@cyber.net.pk>; (2) Federal Minister of Labour, Umer Asghar Khan, fax + 92 51 922 4890; (3) Zia Mahmood Mirza, National Industrial Relations Commission, fax +92 51 920 5920; and Chief Executive, General Pervaiz Musharraf, email <ce@pak.gov.pk>. Please send copies to the LPP at <lpp@lpp.lhr.sdnpk.org>.
The LPP has also set up a fund to help the sacked workers. Please email the LPP for details about how to make a donation.
BY FAROOQ TARIQ