Pakistan: Unilever Rahim Yar Khan: Management takes revenge from workers

Unilever in Pakistan is continuously taking anti-worker measures and ignoring the law in order to increase its exploitation of the workers increase its rate of profit as much as possible. Court orders and decisions are being crushed under the boots while national and international labour laws are being violated openly. The workers who produced the net profit of 46.6% this year for the multinational are now being squeezed more and more.

More than 700 contract workers are currently working in Unilever RYK. Some of them have been working for more than 30 years now while the minimum time span of service among them is 5 years. These workers are now raising the demand of permanent jobs as per national and international laws. Instead of issuing these contract workers permanent jobs, Unilever has made 150 new permanent recruitments on a commendatory basis.

These 700 contracts workers are being treated as slaves in the factory. They are not given legal leave. They cannot use mobile phones while at work. They are given substandard food separate from the permanent employees. These miserable conditions forced these contract workers to register the Inqilabi Workers Union (Revolutionary Workers’ Union) on a legal basis after which Unilever management started taking revengeful actions against them.

In order to highlight their demands and condemn the reprisal attacks against the contract workers, a peaceful sit down strike was organized by the union in front of factory gate on October 26^th 2011. The strike was called off after several assurances by the management. Contrary to the promises of management, the entry of 300 workers was banned illegally the very next day. Entry of these workers has been banned for more than four months now, which is a clear violation of court orders. These workers have been protesting during all these months but the management is continuing in its bigotry and its egoistic behaviour which is only worsening the lives of hundreds of workers and their families.

After the peaceful protest of workers on 26^th October 2011 in Rahim Yar Khan, workers at Walls Lahore won a victory by closing the factory gate where 300 workers were given permanent jobs afterwards. Similarly at Best Foods Lahore workers forcefully closed the factory gate for 14 days and 205 workers were made permanent afterwards. In Rahim Yar Khan, however, 300 workers were sacked after a peaceful protest of just a single day. This shows that working class can only get their rights through struggles on a class basis as the capitalists and multinationals know no other language but force.

The Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign condemns the illegal sacking of 300 workers at Unilever RYK and expresses full solidarity with them. We also appeal to the workers and trade unions of all countries to express solidarity with the affected workers of Rahim Yar Khan.

A meeting of representatives of various parties and organizations was called by the Pakistan Trade Union Defence Campaign against the sacking of the 300 workers at Unilever Rahim Yar Khan. The meeting was organized at the People’s Secretariat and was chaired by Chaurdhry Jahanzeb (Secretary Public Relations PPP South Punjab). The proceedings of the meeting were announced by Naeem Mahandra and Ghulam Rabbani Baloch (Convener Labour Action Committee). Hundreds of workers, political and social activists attended the meeting.

Aslam Nard (Shaheed Bhutto Group), Saifullah Khan Niazi (People’s City Council), Khaliq Dad Chachar, Advocate Hassan Nawaz Khan Niazi ( President Human Rights Forum), Liaqat Ali (President Veterinary Association), Malik Akbar, Shahnawaz Anwar (social activist), Samee Baloch (MRDW), Malik Nadeem, Hassan Muawia (Saraikistan Youth), Ammar Nazeer (Khidmat Party), Syed Khalil Bukhari, Aslam Bhatti (EWA Shaikh Zaid Medical College), Muhammad Kanjo (Saraiki National Party), Ali Muhammad (MLTAP), Jahanzeb Khan (IUF Action Committee Unilever Rahim Yar Khan), Momin Zar (Pakhtoonkhua Milli Awami Party), Ashraf Peer Ji (Jag Welfare Movement), Jam Azam Anees (PPP Shaheed Bhutto Group), Mirza Ameen Khan (President PYO), Iqbal Hassan (District General Secretary PTI), Muzaffar Gopang (Bazm-e-Farid), Amanat Fauji (President Rickshaw Union), Rana Ahsan Ul Haq (District President APCAA), Nadeem Khan (Gen Sec APCA), Kaleem Ilahi (Employees Union Coca Cola), Sajid Hazoor (President Ittehad Workers Union Coca Cola), Raees Kajjal (PTUDC), Riaz Aqeel (BNT), Abdul Haq Khatran (Chairman Watan Dost Federation Sindh), Sayyed Zaman (IUF), Muhammad Rauf (President Inqilabi Workers Union) and Zulfiqar Ali (Gen Sec Inqilabi Wokers Union) addressed the meeting.

All the speakers condemned the sacking of the 300 workers by the Unilever management and demanded their reinstatement immediately. The huge participation from workers’ organizations proved that workers were united against the oppression by the Unilever management. Central leader of the PTUDC Haider Chughtai presented the following resolution which was approved unanimously.

1. 300 sacked workers from Unilever RYK should be reinstated immediately

2. Usman Abid (HRM Unilever Rahim Yar Khan) should be sacked instead.

3. Minimum salary of the contract workers should be RS 10000/-

4. All the contract workers should be given permanent jobs

At the end Chaudhry Jahanzeb addressed the meeting and appealed to the workers of other cities of Pakistan to express solidarity. An action committee for the reinstatement of sacked workers was also formed which includes Haider Chughtai (PTUDC) as chairman.