ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Workers Confederation (APWC) has demanded of the federal and provincial government to check the rising prices of essential commodities and freeze their prices. It urged the Prime Minister and Adviser to PM on Finance for at least 50 per cent increase in wages, pensions and allowances of the workers in the federal budget 2018-19.
The APWC protest rally held in front of the National Press Club here on Tuesday was joined by thousands of workers including trade union representatives and workers belonging to WAPDA, Railways, Telecommunication, PIA, Textile, Engineering, Chemical, Fertilizer, PWD, Irrigation, banks and other entities from all parts of the country including Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Punjab and Islamabad Capital Territory.
The protestors stressed that the government should fulfil their demands as it had already raised emoluments of the legislators by about 150 per cent and regularised the contract, daily wages and contingent workers.
Addressing the rally, APWC General Secretary Khurshid Ahmad said that Prime Minister and lawmakers should accept the just demands of the workers otherwise they would be compelled to hold sit-in protests.
Through a resolution, the APWC urged the federal, provincial government to raise minimum wages of workers to Rs30,000, pension of retired employees from Rs5,230 per month to at least Rs15,000 per month, restore medical facilities to the industrial and commercial workers after their superannuation under Social Security Scheme Ordinance and get amended the outdated labour laws and bring them in conformity with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions and restore the fundamental trade union rights of the banks, NADRA, and agriculture workers under the law and assure safe working conditions to the workers.
