A seminar titled “Will Inflation and unemployment remain the fate of the working class?” was organized by the K-Electric Labour Union (CBA) on May 29, 2023, at the PMA House in Karachi. The seminar was attended by a significant number of workers.
During the event, Paras Jan from Red Workers Front addressed the workers and highlighted the long history of struggle by the K-Electric labour union, which is still remembered.
Currently, Pakistan faces a severe financial crisis, with the national treasury being empty and the country being on the brink of default. In the past, trade union leaders failed to comprehend the adverse impact of privatisation on workers when the government was privatising national assets. Presently, the government continues to privatise national assets while workers are suffering from high inflation. The money borrowed by the rulers in the past for their luxuries is being repaid by extractions from the hardworking people. In such a situation, workers need to unite and move forward with a general strike to let the bosses know who is running the system.
During the seminar, Akhlaq Khan, the leader of K-Electric CBA, spoke up against the privatisation of state-owned institutions. He emphasized that K-Electric’s privatisation had not resulted in improved performance and reduced load-shedding, as promised by the state and bosses, but had in fact worsened the situation. He urged workers to unite and fight against privatisation so that all national assets could be kept under public control. The attending workers and trade union leaders expressed their support by raising slogans against privatisation and for workers’ control.
PTUS stands in solidarity with the K-Electric labour union and their fight against the privatisation of national assets. We firmly believe that privatisation is often used by the state and business leaders to harm worker conditions and must be resisted. Even in developed nations, privatization is currently failing in crucial sectors such as energy, transportation, and healthcare. PTUS is committed to uniting the K-Electric workers’ struggle with the international workers movement against privatisation.
