On October 31, as part of weekly district-level protests across Punjab, APCA (All Pakistan Clerks Association) joined with various organizations in Lahore to protest against the black law of Leave Encashment, privatization of government schools, and other workers’ demands in front of the Civil Secretariat Lahore.
The central rally started from the McLeod Road office and, passing in front of various offices while chanting slogans against inflation, workers staged a sit-in in front of the Civil Secretariat.
Worker leaders addressed in the traditional manner. They repeated their old demands before the government and adjourned the protest until next week.
It should be noted that these protests were previously being held from the AGEGA platform, but last October, at the movement’s peak, AGEGA leadership met with Ahmed Khan of PML-N and sat with Maryam Nawaz Shareef (Chief Minister of Punjab Province) to announce the end of protests and movement without any notification.
Afterward, along with spreading despondency and disappointment, employees’ trust in leadership decreased and unity moved toward division. Subsequently, two separate protests were seen in Lahore – one in front of the Punjab Assembly and another in front of the Civil Secretariat.
The government currently wants to take everything away from employees at the IMF’s behest, placing the entire burden of the economic crisis on the general public through cuts, tax increases, inflation, and privatization while increasing their own luxuries.
PTUS believes that all worker leaderships must unite and organize with consensus to intensify the struggle against IMF agents and anti-worker rulers.
Long Live Workers’ Unity and Resistance!
