PAT holds seminar on International Labour Day

PAT organized a seminar to mark International Labour Day on May 1st at the central secretariat, which was presided over by senior PAT leader Dr Hassan Mohi-ud-Din Qadri.

In his presidential address, Dr Hassan said that the rulers who have set up offshore companies are enemies of the workers, farmers and labourers. He said that if the people did not rise for their rights, the predatory ruling elite will gobble up whatever is left. He said that the labourers of Chicago rendered sacrifices against the state barbarism and the PAT workers also stood up against the state oppression and high-handedness. He said that 10-point agenda of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is an agenda of prosperity for the workers, labourers and disadvantaged people.

PAT Secretary General Khurram Nawaz Gandapur, Mazdoor Mahaz Secretary General Shaukat Ali Chaudhry, Rafique Najam, Sajid Bhatti, Jawad Hamid, Tanveer Khan, and Babar Ali Ch addressed the seminar. Ahmad Nawaz Anjum, Noorullah Saddiqi, Ishtiaq Ch, Mazhar Alvi, Raja Zahid, and Ishtiaq Hanif Mughal were also present on the occasion. A large number of workers attended the seminar and chanted slogans against the anti-labour system.

Addressing the Labour Day moot, Khurram Nawaz Gandapur said that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri’s workers are passionate and fresh even today and await one gesture of their leader to stand up to the oppressive and corrupt system. He said that the present rulers are enemies of national resources and time has come to send them home.

Mazdoor Mahaz leader Shaukat Ali Chaudhry said that the Punjab Chief Minister has increased the wages of labourer from Rs. 13000 to Rs. 14000. He asked the CM to tell how a family can live on a paltry sum of Rs. 14000. He said that politics was played in the name of rights of the labour class. He said that we can neither forget martyrs of Chicago nor those of the Model Town tragedy because they laid down their lives for loftier causes of people’s rights. He said that it is our duty to seek justice for Model Town tragedy.

Rafique Najam said in his speech that Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri is the voice of the poor working classes. He said that the PAT workers have the heart of looking into the eyes of the rulers for their democratic rights.

A resolution adopted on the occasion asked the rulers to bring back their declared and undeclared wealth from abroad and invest them here so that employment opportunities could be created. All big and small industries and workers should be properly registered and they be given social security cards. The load-shedding of electricity and gas should be done away with. Home based working women and agricultural labourers should be given the status of a labourer and they should be given facilities and perks under the labour laws. The scope of labour courts be extended up to Tehsil. The black law of prohibiting inspection of factories by labour inspectors should be abolished. The minimum wage of a labourer should be fixed at Rs. 25000 per month and it should be started from the government sector.