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PAKISTAN: More than one hundred thousand power loom workers are on strike and the government failed to increase the wages according to its own announcement

July 22, 2010

ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEALS PROGRAMME

Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-109-2010

 

22 July 2010

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PAKISTAN: More than one hundred thousand power loom workers are on strike and the government failed to increase the wages according to its own announcement

ISSUES: Right to strike, police violence, labour rights, arbitrary arrest,
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Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that more than 100,000 workers of power looms in Faisalabad district of Punjab province are on strike since July 20 to ask for an increase of the wages, as announced by the government. To deal with the striking workers the Punjab provincial government has reshuffled the administration and police of Faisalabad district, to deal strongly against the striking workers and to provide the strike from spreading to other districts of the province, where more than 600,000 workers are engaged in power loom industry. The four leaders of the movement were taken into the custody by the police and illegally kept in the police station. It is feared that the leaders would have been killed in a fake police encounter, as within 10 days, during the reshuffle in administration, one labour leader of power loom workers and his brother, as well as two Christian brothers were murdered by unknown persons in day light.

On the first day of the strike, the employers/owners of the power loom factories pelted the striking workers with stones and injured many who were peacefully protesting. The police used batons and tear gas shells resulting in more than 25 workers being injured, including the leader of the striking workers. The police have arrested more than 100 workers.

The another round of talks between the workers and the owners of the factories under the district coordinating officer of Faisalabad failed because of the adamant attitude of the owners who were demanding the arrests of all the leaders of Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM). The Chief Minister of Punjab has threatened the striking workers that the disturbance of law and order can not be tolerated.

CASE NARRATIVE:

More than 100,000 workers of power loom in Faisalabad district of Punjab province are on strike since July 20, 2010 for an increase of wages which had been announced by the government during the presentation of budget 2010-11. The government announced 17 % rise in the minimum wage for the private sector workers. Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM), an organization of power loom workers in Faisalabad, Jhang and other districts, had been in negotiation with power loom owners since the last three weeks for wage increase. These negotiations were facilitated by the district administrations in both districts. The power loom employers are not accepting these just demands and are spreading poisonous propaganda against workers by labeling them as terrorists.

The four leaders of the striking workers, Mr. Fazal Illahi, president of LQM, Sudhar, Mr. Akbar Kamboh, Mohammad Riaz and Mr. Baber, were illegally arrested by the Thekri Wala police station, Sudhar, Faisalabad without any First Information Report (FIR) and kept in police lock up without any charges.

It is reported that during the strike the workers remained peaceful but the owners of factories and their henchmen and police remained violent against the striking workers. This resulted in the murder of a trade union leader, Mr. Mustansir Randhawa and his brothers during the negotiations. On July 20, the owners and their henchmen resorted to violence by throwing stones and bricks on the peaceful march of workers from one side of the protest, while police used tear gas shells on the workers from the other end. 25 workers were injured including Mr. Tahir Rana, the leader of the movement, who was critically injured. Around 100 workers were also arrested.

The print and electronic media reported that thousands of workers from different areas of Faisalabad district have marched despite a police ban on public gatherings. As the workers began their march, gangsters of power loom owners started straight firing at the striking workers in Sudhar area of Faisalabad. Sudhar is the suburb of Faisalabad where a big number of power loom factories is located. This area has been a scuffle ground between workers and owners for the last three years as the workers organized themselves effectively in huge number there.

Police have used tear gas and charged with batons in Faizabad and Ghulam Muhammadabad areas of Faisalabad without any provocation coming from the protesters. In one such attack on workers in Faizabad area, Rana Tahir, the district president of LQM in Faisalabad, was injured along with score of others. 25 workers have been injured so far by police tear gas and lathi charge.

In Jhang district, thousands of workers along with their families, including women and children, have picketed outside the District Administration Officer’s office and are sitting there until the demands of workers are accepted.

A new round of talks was held under the district coordinating officer (DCO) between representatives of the workers and owners of the power loom factories and failed again before the refusal of the owners to increase the wages. The owners were demanding the arrest of the leaders of the power loom workers and LQM. The administration of the district obeyed to the owners and arrested the leaders of the LQM, rather than implementing the 17% increase that the government promised.

The power looms owners in Jhang district have bought a half-page advertisement in one of the largest circulated newspaper, the Daily Express Faisalabad, asking the government to disband the workers’ movement. They alleged that Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) is linked to Mutihida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a sectarian mass organization in Karachi and is part of the coalition government at Center and in Sindh province. The owners claimed that the 15 days strike has cost them over 9 billion Rupees and that 15,000 power looms factories are closed.

The chief minister of Punjab province has threatened the striking workers to heavily repress the strike, arguing that they are disturbing the law and order. The chief minister also refused to implement the announced policy of wages increase. He suggested the workers ask an increase of their wages from the federal government.

It is to be mentioned here that during the month of July 2010, within a span of 12 days, a trade union leader, Mr. Mustansar Randhawa and his brother were shot dead by unknown persons outside the trade union office where negotiations were held on July 6. On July 2, two Christian brothers were also shot dead in the court premises in the day time by unknown persons.

SUGGESTED ACTION:

Please right the letters to the authorities to ask them to implement the 17% increase of wages for 600,000 workers of power looms from Faisalabad, Jhang and Toba Tek Singh districts, as announced by the federal government in June. Please urge upon the authorities to stop violence against the striking workers and respect their labour rights and right to strike, which are guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan.

The AHRC writes a separate letter to UN Special Rapporteur on the Question of Labour Rights calling for his intervention into this case.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear __________,

PAKISTAN: More than one hundred thousand power loom workers are on strike and government failed to increase the wages according to its own announcement

Name of victims:
Workers of the Power loom factories

Names of alleged perpetrators:
1. Owners of the power looms factories

2. Mr. Aftab Cheema, Regional Police Officer, Faisalabad district, Punjab province

Date of incident: July 20, 2010
Place of incident: Faizabad, Ghulam Muhammad Abad, Faisalabad district.

I am writing to voice my deep concern regarding the violence against the striking workers of the power loom industry in Faisalabad district of Punjab province and its adjoining areas. It is appalling that more than 100,000 workers from the power looms industry are being denied their right to get a 17% increase of their wages, as announced by the federal government during the budget session in June.

According to my information, more than 100,000 workers of power loom in Faisalabad district of Punjab province are on strike since July 20, for an increase of wages which had been announced by the government during the presentation of budget 2010-11. Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM), an organization of power loom workers in Faisalabad, Jhang and other districts, had been in negotiation with power loom owners since the last three weeks for wage increase. These negotiations were facilitated by the district administrations in both the districts. The power loom owners are not accepting these just demands and are spreading a poisonous propaganda against the workers by labeling them as terrorists.

The four leaders of the striking workers, Mr. Fazal Illahi, president of LQM, Sudhar, Mr. Akbar Kamboh, Mohammad Riaz and Mr. Baber, were arrested illegally by the Thekri Wala police station, Sudhar, Faisalabad without any FIR and kept in police lock up without any charges.

During the strike the workers remained peaceful but the owners of factories and their henchmen and police acted violently against the striking workers which resulted in the murder of a trade union leader, Mr. Mustansir Randhawa and his brothers during the negotiations.

I am aware that on July 20, the owners and their henchmen resorted to violence by throwing stones and bricks at the peaceful march of workers from one side of the protest, while the police used tear gas shells on the workers from the other end. 25 workers were injured including Mr. Tahir Rana, the leader of the movement, who was critically injured. Around 100 workers were also arrested.

The power looms owners in Jhang district have bought a half-page advertisement in one of the largest circulated newspaper, the Daily Express Faisalabad, asking the government to disband the workers’ movement. They alleged that Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM) is linked to Mutihida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a sectarian mass organization in Karachi and is part of the coalition government at Center and in Sindh province. The owners claimed that the 15 days strike has cost them over 9 billion Rupees and that 15,000 power looms factories are closed.

I am shocked to know that during the month of July 2010, within 12 days, a trade union leader, Mr. Mustansar Randhawa and his brother were shot dead by unknown persons outside the trade union office where negotiations were held on July 6. On July 2, two Christian brothers were also shot dead in the court premises in the day time by unknown persons.

This is very regretting that the chief minister of Punjab province has threatened the striking workers to heavily repress the strike, arguing that they are disturbing the law and order. The chief minister also refused to implement the announced policy of wages increase. He suggested the workers ask an increase of their wages from the federal government.

I urge upon you to solve the issue of the striking workers and to implement the decision of the federal government to increase the wages of the private sector by 17%. All the arrested or those who are kept illegally in the custody of police must be immediately released and an inquiry must be held to make light on the plight of power loom workers.

Yours sincerely,

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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mr. Asif Ali Zardari
President of Pakistan
President's Secretariat
Islamabad, PAKISTAN,
Email: publicmail@president.gov.pk
Phone 92-51-9204801-9214171
Fax 92-51-9207458

2. Mr.Syed Mumtaz Alam Gillani
Federal Minister for Human Rights
Ministry of Human Rights
Old US Aid building
Ata Turk Avenue
G-5, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: +9251-9204108
Email: sarfraz_yousuf@yahoo.com

3. Mr. Salman Taseer
Governor of Punjab
Governor House
Mall Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 99203044
Email: governor.sectt@punjab.gov.pk

4. Chief Secretary of Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92 42 7324489
E-mail: chiefsecy@punjab.gov.pk

5. Minister of Law
Government of Punjab
Punjab Secretariat
Ravi Road
Lahore
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92-42-99212004
E-mail: law@punjab.gov.pk

6. Dr. Faqir Hussain
Registrar
Supreme Court of Pakistan
Constitution Avenue, Islamabad
PAKISTAN
Fax: + 92 51 9213452
E-mail: mail@supremecourt.gov.pk

7. Mr. Tariq Saleem
Inspector-General of Police, Punjab
Police Head Office, Lahore, Punjab province
PAKISTAN
Fax: +92-42-99210064


Thank you.

Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrc.asia)

Document Type :
Urgent Appeal Case
Document ID :
AHRC-UAC-109-2010
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Extended Introduction: Urgent Appeals, theory and practice

A need for dialogue

Many people across Asia are frustrated by the widespread lack of respect for human rights in their countries.  Some may be unhappy about the limitations on the freedom of expression or restrictions on privacy, while some are affected by police brutality and military killings.  Many others are frustrated with the absence of rights on labour issues, the environment, gender and the like. 

Yet the expression of this frustration tends to stay firmly in the private sphere.  People complain among friends and family and within their social circles, but often on a low profile basis. This kind of public discourse is not usually an effective measure of the situation in a country because it is so hard to monitor. 

Though the media may cover the issues in a broad manner they rarely broadcast the private fears and anxieties of the average person.  And along with censorship – a common blight in Asia – there is also often a conscious attempt in the media to reflect a positive or at least sober mood at home, where expressions of domestic malcontent are discouraged as unfashionably unpatriotic. Talking about issues like torture is rarely encouraged in the public realm.

There may also be unwritten, possibly unconscious social taboos that stop the public reflection of private grievances.  Where authoritarian control is tight, sophisticated strategies are put into play by equally sophisticated media practices to keep complaints out of the public space, sometimes very subtly.  In other places an inner consensus is influenced by the privileged section of a society, which can control social expression of those less fortunate.  Moral and ethical qualms can also be an obstacle.

In this way, causes for complaint go unaddressed, un-discussed and unresolved and oppression in its many forms, self perpetuates.  For any action to arise out of private frustration, people need ways to get these issues into the public sphere.

Changing society

In the past bridging this gap was a formidable task; it relied on channels of public expression that required money and were therefore controlled by investors.  Printing presses were expensive, which blocked the gate to expression to anyone without money.  Except in times of revolution the media in Asia has tended to serve the well-off and sideline or misrepresent the poor.

Still, thanks to the IT revolution it is now possible to communicate with large audiences at little cost.  In this situation there is a real avenue for taking issues from private to public, regardless of the class or caste of the individual.

Practical action

The AHRC Urgent Appeals system was created to give a voice to those affected by human rights violations, and by doing so, to create a network of support and open avenues for action.  If X’s freedom of expression is denied, if Y is tortured by someone in power or if Z finds his or her labour rights abused, the incident can be swiftly and effectively broadcast and dealt with. The resulting solidarity can lead to action, resolution and change. And as more people understand their rights and follow suit, as the human rights consciousness grows, change happens faster. The Internet has become one of the human rights community’s most powerful tools.   

At the core of the Urgent Appeals Program is the recording of human rights violations at a grass roots level with objectivity, sympathy and competence. Our information is firstly gathered on the ground, close to the victim of the violation, and is then broadcast by a team of advocates, who can apply decades of experience in the field and a working knowledge of the international human rights arena. The flow of information – due to domestic restrictions – often goes from the source and out to the international community via our program, which then builds a pressure for action that steadily makes its way back to the source through his or her own government.   However these cases in bulk create a narrative – and this is most important aspect of our program. As noted by Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, Basil Fernando:

"The urgent appeal introduces narrative as the driving force for social change. This idea was well expressed in the film Amistad, regarding the issue of slavery. The old man in the film, former president and lawyer, states that to resolve this historical problem it is very essential to know the narrative of the people. It was on this basis that a court case is conducted later. The AHRC establishes the narrative of human rights violations through the urgent appeals. If the narrative is right, the organisation will be doing all right."

Patterns start to emerge as violations are documented across the continent, allowing us to take a more authoritative, systemic response, and to pinpoint the systems within each country that are breaking down. This way we are able to discover and explain why and how violations take place, and how they can most effectively be addressed. On this path, larger audiences have opened up to us and become involved: international NGOs and think tanks, national human rights commissions and United Nations bodies.  The program and its coordinators have become a well-used tool for the international media and for human rights education programs. All this helps pave the way for radical reforms to improve, protect and to promote human rights in the region.