Clarion call for end to capitalist exploitation
Participants of the rally pass through Zaibunnisa Street, carrying banners and flags demanding a just and fair homeland. PHOTO: JALAL QURESHI/EXPRESS
On the occasion of Labour Day, National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) and the Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) led a rally on Thursday, which included thousands of workers, with a significant number of women participating.
Speakers at the rally demanded the dismantling of capitalist structures and the end of anti-labour policies. The rally began at Regal Chowk and concluded at the Karachi Press Club.
NTUF General Secretary Nasir Mansoor, addressing the gathering, expressed regret over the global chaos caused by capitalist and right-wing governments. He highlighted how these policies have pushed billions into poverty and conflict, warning of the threat of a new form of colonialism emerging from economic instability and trade wars.
Gul Rehman of the Workers Rights Movement criticised Pakistan's ruling elite for adopting anti-labour policies similar to their imperialist counterparts.
HBWWF General Secretary Zehra Khan condemned the proposed labour code in Sindh and Punjab, stating that it would legitimise the illegal third-party contract system. She pledged strong resistance against its implementation.
Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Asad Iqbal Butt claimed that various elite groups have united to prolong public suffering, while political parties divert attention away from class struggle. The rally concluded with resolutions demanding the removal of anti-worker clauses from labour laws, an end to the contract system, enforcement of minimum wages, and a halt to environmentally harmful projects.
The organisers also announced a major workers' sit-in in the city ahead of the federal budget, with the date and venue to be announced soon.
"The martyrs of May Day, by sacrificing their lives in Chicago, secured the eight-hour workday for workers around the world - we salute them. There is a need for special legislation in Pakistan to prioritise the rights of women workers. On one hand, women are discouraged from working by their families, and on the other hand, they face contemptuous or even violent behaviour from men in society." These remarks were made by Secretary of the Communist Party of Pakistan Karachi Committee and organiser of the Democratic Women's Association Kulsoom Jamal while addressing a women's rally organised by the Communist Party of Pakistan from Shaheen Complex to the Press Club in connection with May Day.
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