LAHORE - The Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) management has been continuing to threaten and harass the workers who are planning to organise a protest demonstration to be held on Thursday (today) near Shimla hill. The protest meeting will take place at Shimla Pahari Chouck and will be addressed by leaders of several political parties and trade unions. The protest is jointly organized by Anti Privatization Alliance, National Trade Union Federation, Mutahida Mahaz PTCL Unions and Labour Education Foundation.
The decision to organize this protest was taken at the PTCL Workers Solidarity Multi Party Conference on Nov 25.
The office-bearers of the Mutahida Mahaz PTCL Unions said that the management is busy in preparing a new list of union activists to take action who are taking part in the public meeting.
They said that about 590 workers are already terminated or suspended from jobs after the Pakistan Telecommunication workers decided to observe strike for wage increase.
The management have issued a direction not to grant a leave for any reason on 2nd December, union said. They said that management is telling workers openly if they attend the public meeting, they may lose their jobs.
Despite all this, the unions leaders have decided to go ahead with the public meeting to protest against sacking of hundreds of PTCL union activists and also to raise the demand of 50 percent wages increase as had been decided by the government.
They are also demanding a renationalization of PTCL. The privatization of PTCL have miserably failed and it has not only resulted in forcing over 35,000 workers to leave PTCL and face unemployment but also it has not helped to modernize the telecommunication services on reasonable prices for the people of Pakistan, the union said.