Barrister Faisal
Siddique briefed the meeting on the petition filed by Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER), National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), PFF, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and other
organizations in Sindh High Court against the relevant government departments
and others responsible for the fire accident. He said that the state has totally
collapsed and only way to protect worker rights is through unified struggle.
It was the consensus of the
meeting to reject the commission and the government's half-hearted measures.
The representatives decided to form the "Workers Right Movement (WRM)" to launch a movement for the
implementation of labor laws, compensation to the families of the deceased
workers, compensation for the injured and for other workers who lost their livelihoods
due to the fire, closure of the factory, and the arrest of factory owners and
confiscation of their assets and bank accounts.
To press for these demands, plans for a large worker rights rally at Regal Chawk at 4pm on Saturday, September 29, were announced.
Three committees were
also formed to mobilize professional organizations, the media and workers of
different industrial areas.
The leaders who
addressed the meeting were Salhudin Gandapur (Pakistan Bar Council), Ghani
Zaman, Shafi Ghori (National Trade Union Federation), Habibudin Junedi (All
Pakistan Trade Union Organization), Manzoor Mallah (Rail Ways Mehnatkash
union), Usman Baloch (Workers party)Dr Nisar (CPP), Ghulam Muhammed
Jadoon(APP), Sajjad Zaheer (Labour Party Sindh), Fahim Zaman (CFD), Khuram Ali
(NSF), Nawab Ali (Hosiery Garments Workers Association), Zehra Khan (WBWWF),
Shaikh Majeed (PIA Employees peoples Unity), Sharaft Ali (PILER), Syed Hamid
(PWF), Jafar Khan(MLF), Noor Muhammed(PWC), Mirza Maqsood (Pakistan Steel
Jonior Officers Association), Nasim Hyder (Pakistan Steel Democratic
Progressive Workers Union), Muhammed Zubair (PAS), Ghulam Muhammed (Atlas Honda
Auto labour Union), Atiqurehman (Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation), Gul Reham
(SITE workers Action Committee), Abdul Shakoor (Power Looms General Workers
Union), Bashir Ahmed (Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union), Yusuf Khattak
(Mazdoor Mahaz), Aslam Khan (Trade Union Action Committee), Comrade Fahad
(Progressive Youth Front), Malik Rafiq (labour law expert), Sardar Azmat Advocate
(Karachi Bar Association), Sarwar Jawaid (jourmalist), Hasan Akhter (human rights activist), Eqbal Alvi (Ertiqa Institute), Hasan Aliya (PDF), Muhammed Aslam
(Kohinoor Chemical labour Union), Abdul Rehman (J&P Coats Azad Labour
Union), Salim Akhter (Professional Organizations Alliance), and Ali Ghulam (BNSO). Many other organizations share in their views.
Nasir Mansoor is the Deputy General Secretary of the National Trade Union
Federation, Pakistan, and a founding member of Worker Rights Movement (WRM) on September 22, 2012.
