Pakistan telecom victory

The policies of the ruling class based on privatisation, 
downsizing, and restructuring have made life hell for the working 
class. On the one hand the rulers are throwing the workers into 
the quagmire of joblessness and poverty and on the other hand 
they are involved in massive corruption and looting. And in a 
continuation of this looting and plundering, they are planning to 
privatise the Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Ltd. 
(PTCL).

The total number of employees at PTCL is 60,000 out of which 
7,000 are on contract.

According to the management of the organisation, the introduction 
of computers and modern machinery is the main reason for 
downsizing. Computers can do four times the work that a worker 
can do. So, in the management's view, more than 50 percent of the 
staff are surplus.

As a result, thousands of workers will lose their jobs and will 
be thrown out without any notice or benefits from this 
organisation.

However, while with one hand the management is firing the old 
employees with schemes named the "golden handshake", on the other 
hand it is recruiting new staff on a daily wages basis. Daily 
wages workers are performing the same job as regular workers, but 
they receive less salary and work without any job security.

But the workers of PTCL revolted against these pro-imperialist 
policies through a ballot and the Pakistan Telecom Employees 
Union won the referendum due to their radical program. 
Immediately after the victory in the referendum PTEU submitted a 
charter of demands asking the administration to adjust wages in 
accordance with day to day inflation, earnings of the 
organisation and in line with the salaries of other good 
companies

Instead of approving the demands of the workers, the regime not 
only started unfair labour practices but also started making 
attacks on the union to crush it. The union resisted the state 
attacks and kept on fighting against the regime in the courts as 
well as on the ground. They kept on struggling for the approval 
of their charter of demands but the regime did not understand the 
polite language of the workers.

The workers gained the support of the Pakistan Trade Union 
Defence Campaign (PTUDC), which not only stood shoulder to 
shoulder with the employees' union in their struggle, but took on 
the aim to gain further support from other unions and 
organisations of workers and youth.

On September 30, 2004 while addressing a workers' meeting the 
Secretary General of PTCL Employees Union, Rana Mohammad Tahir, 
gave a notice that the workers would go on complete strike and 
jam the whole communications system of the country on October 14 
if the demands were not met.

Some of their demands included:

* The wages of PTCL workers should be increased by 15%.

* The workers who deserve promotion should be promoted 
immediately

* The quota for the recruitment of children of on duty staff 
should be restored.

* The daily wages employees of telecom foundation should be 
regularised.

* The employees should be paid bonuses according to the 
proportion of the profit of the company.

* The medical facilities of the workers should immediately be 
restored.

* The fake cases against the union should immediately be 
withdrawn.

Initially management and the regime took this as something 
routine. They were not the least concerned about these demands.

This attitude only further angered the workers. There was a good 
response to the strike call of the union. In many cities the 
workers participation in strike made the regime tremble and on 
the evening of October 12, the regime accepted all the demands of 
the workers and requested them to call off the strike.

It is a great victory for the workers of the communication 
industry in Pakistan and will strengthen the cause of labour. The 
workers still face many challenges ahead. The inevitable 
challenge of the workers is to resist the privatisation policy of 
the regime.

The PTUDC will play a key role in support of the workers in their 
future struggle against the privatisation.