A representative meeting of more than 70 trade union federations, plant level unions, different industrial zones labour bodies, left parties, youth, students, women, social, workers and human right organizations, professional bodies and individuals was held on Saturday 22 at Karachi Art Council to discuss the 9/11 factory fire tragedy in Karachi/Lahore thoroughly and chalk out joint action plan against the culprits and for the rights of worker. The meeting was presided over by Yousuf Masti Khan of WPP.

Nasir Mansoor (NTUF) coordinate the meeting and brief the participants about the current situation and different measures taken by different organizations including case in high court, data collection of died and injured workers and proposed future line of action to cope with the situation.

The representatives stated that government has been trying to give safe cover up to factory owners and put the fire tragedy under carpet through formation of partial commission which has no confidence of the workers bodies. The compensation process was still not initiated so all the attitude of govt. showed that it has no sympathy toward died, injured workers and plight of their families and failed to respect the law and punished the culprits responsible for the tragedy. It just want to linger on the process so that people forget it. That’s why it allowed main culprit to go escort free and facilitate to obtain preemptive bail first from Larkana Bench and than from Rawalpindi which show the state’s apparatus’ attitude toward 300 burnt alive workers tragedy.

The workers representatives resolved that only workers and pro workers segment of society’s joint resistance could change the situation in favour of working class.

Barrister Faisal Siddique brief the meeting on petition filed by PILER, NTUF,PFF,HRCP and other organizations in Sindh High Court against the concern government departments and other responsible for the fire accident. He said that state is totally collapsed and only way is to unified struggle to protect the rights.

It was consensus in the meeting in rejecting the commission and governments half hearted measures.

The representative have decided to form "Workers Right Movement (WRM) to launch a movement for the implementation of labour laws, compensation to the families of died worker , compensation for injured and other workers who lost their livelihood due to fire and closer of the factory and arrest of factory owners and confiscation of their assets and bank accounts.

It was also announce to held big workers rally on Sat 29Septem from Regal Chawk at 4pm to press for the demands.

Three committees were also formed to mobilize the professional groups, media and the workers of different industrial area.

The leaders who addressed the meeting were Salhudin Gandapur (Pakistan Bar Council), Ghani Zaman, Shafi Ghori (National Trade Union Federation), Habibudin Junedi (All Pakistan Trade Union Organization), Manzoor Mallah (Rail Ways Mehnatkash union), Usman Baloch (Workers party), Dr Nisar (CPP), Ghulam Muhammed Jadoon (APP), Sajjad Zaheer (Labour Party Sindh), Fahim Zaman (CFD), Khuram Ali (NSF), Nawab Ali (Hosiery Garments Workers Association),Zehra Khan (WBWWF), Shaikh Majeed (PIA Employees peoples Unity), Sharaft Ali (PILER), Syed Hamid (PWF), Jafar Khan (MLF), Noor Muhammed (PWC), Mirza Maqsood (Pakistan Steel Jonior Officers Association), Nasim Hyder (Pakistan Steel Democratic Progressive Workers Union), Muhammed Zubair (PAS), Ghulam Muhammed (Atlas Honda Auto labour Union), Atiqurehman (Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation), Gul Reham (SITE workers Action Committee), Abdul Shakoor (Power Looms General Workers Union), Bashir Ahmed (Gadani Ship Breaking Labour Union), Yusuf Khattak (Mazdoor Mahaz), Aslam Khan (Trade Union Action Committee),Comrade Fahad (Progressive Youth Front), Malik Rafiq (labour law expert), Sardar Azmat Advocate (Karachi Bar Association),Sarwar Jawaid (Jourmalist), Hasan Akhter (Human Right Activist), Eqbal Alvi (Ertiqa Institute), Hasan Aliya (PDF), Muhammed Aslam (Kohinoor Chemical labour Union), Abdul Rehman (J&P Coats Azad Labour Union), Salim Akhter (Professional Organizations Alliance), Ali Ghulam (BNSO) and many other organizations’ representatives share their views.

Nasir Mansoor
Workers Right Movemen(WRM)
National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Pakistan