In Solidarity with members of the All Unions Mazdoor Mahaz

The NTUI stands in solidarity with the All Unions Mazdoor Mahaz of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) and supports the general strike it called on 3 June 2011. We felicitate the success of the All Unions Mazdoor Mahaz in shutting down the industrial capital of Pakistan. We recognise the support of the Karachi Transport Ittehad to the strike as a reflection of the strong unity of the working class in Karachi. The NTUI believes that the unity of workers and the independence of the trade union movement from political parties are paramount for the success of our struggles.

The NTUI recognises that the All Unions Mazdoor Mahaz shares the understanding that public employees, while defending their own interest, must also protect the public provision of services for the rest of the working class. We salute the All Unions Mazdoor Mahaz for reaching out to the working class and the middle class by addressing the problem of prolonged power outages and inflated electricity bills, along with opposing the proposed retrenchment of over 4,000 skilled employees that have been placed in a surplus pool.

Management’s claim that the 4000 skilled employees are a burden to the company is contradictory to its recruitment of nearly 6000 unskilled workers on a contact basis. This not only contributed to a collapse of the power supply system and to the acute electric supply crises in the city, hampering the smooth functioning of production in big and small factories, it is also a deliberated strategy of the management. The NTUI denounces the management intent to replace unionised and sympathetic employees with its own agents in order to weaken the growing militant trade union tradition in KESC which has consistently challenged management’s attacks on workers and unions’ rights.

Political parties, including Muttahida Quami Movement and Pakistan Peoples Party have contributed to this crisis by inducting their own family members and close allies on lucrative posts at privatized KESC. PPP-MQM also pocketed heavy packages from the company, at the cost of workers incentives. These parties then provided political support to the administration of KESC to fire over 4000 workers on permanent jobs, with a interest that their party activists’ would be nominated for employment by KESC. The NTUI denounces the hypocrisy of PPP-MQM and other parliamentary groups that spoke in favour of the workers while they are, in fact, acting in collusion with the company’s management.

The NTUI remembers the KESC workers’ success last year when it forced the management to abandon its design to terminate these 4500 workers, under the pressure of thousands of KESC workers along with other trade union and political activists peacefully occupying the surrounding of the head office areas for more than one week. Today, KESC management refusal to reinstate the employees and, instead, the proposal of redundancy packages is unacceptable.

The NTUI stands in solidarity with you in your militant struggle in defense of your rights and in defense of the uninterrupted supply of electricity at acceptable prices to the working class of the city of Karachi.