SLIC Field Workers march in Hyderabad

Hyderabad Workers red march against SLIC management

HYDERABAD: 13, Octo, 2021: Workers belonging to different trade organized a red march against rising inflation, unemployment and miserable working conditions of state life workers here on Wednesday.

Rally carrying red flags was jointly organized by All Pakistan State Life Insurance – SLIC Field Workers Association and the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) started from Gul center and terminated at Hyderabad press club.

The rally was led by Muhammad Tahir Siddiqui, general secretary of the association, while a large number of workers from different sectors participated in the protest.
Speaking on the occasion workers representatives termed the policies of the management of State Life Insurance SLIC as hostile towards the workers as a result of which the institution had been on the verge of collapse.
They quoted the Auditor General of Pakistan report in which he strongly mentioned report that due to wrong policies of the management, the business of the organization has been drastically reduced and suggested to take action against the officers responsible for it but action was being taken against the workers and also blackmailed by the management.
They also said that sales officers’ cadre was restored by three courts of National Industrial Relation Commission (NIRC) in Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta but the management didn’t respect the courts verdicts.
While Com Nasir Mansoor, general secretary, National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) in his speech talked on general working and living conditions of the workers. He said elite classes had become henchmen of international capital and financial institututes against people of Pakistan.
Because their anti-people policies the monster of inflation, unemployment and poverty pervaded the society. Prices of consumer goods, especially flour, sugar, edible oil, ghee, rice and pulses, had risen by 100 per cent.
The only way to deal with this crisis lies in the resistance and organization of the working class.
He further said that the prices of essential medicines for human life had been increased by 300 to 400 percent while the prices of electricity and gas had been increased from 100 to 200 percent.
The nearly two-fold increase in the prices of petroleum products had broken the backs of the workers. Labour leader said that as a result of IMF driven policies, more than 16 million people had lost their jobs and 20 million more forced to live below the poverty line within small period of two years.
The labor leaders said that unconstitutional restrictions were being imposed on political, social activists, journalists and broadcasters, pointing to the terrible economic, political and social crisis looming in the country.
Journalists and media workers across the country were protesting against the conspiracy to impose the Media Development Authority to curb freedom of expression and dissent voices. He declared that the only way out of current crisis was through a nationwide movement and organization of the workers, for which efforts had been started.
The workers’ rally, paused several resolutions demanding  to restore Filed workers structure in Pakistan State Life Insurance Corporation. implement the decision of NIRC, Quetta bench, ensure a minimum monthly wage of Rs 25,000 for all unskilled laborers.

The dmeands also included:
Ensure eight hours work, weekly wage leave, overtime double wages.
Take concrete steps to make flour, ghee, pulses, sugar, rice, milk, electricity, gas, petrol, medicine, education, health, transport and other necessities of life affordable and accessible to the people.
The privatization plan of public institutions including Pakistan Steel, WAPDA should be terminated immediately.
Reinstate forcibly dismissed workers and journalists from public, private and government institutions.
The implementation of black law like Pakistan Media Development Authority should be stopped.
Abdul Qayyum Magra , Raja Muzaffar Hussain Mohammad Ali Sheikh, Mohammad Taq Siddiqui, Abdul Ghani Sheikj , Ahmad Malik , Sarwan Kumar Bachani ,Ali Akbar Baloch. Nadeemul Haq, Faiz Mohammad Sahto , Mehboob Qureshi , Shakeela Khan , Riaz Abassi , Comrade Gul Reham were also the speakers in the rally.