Pakistan: Strike resists Telecom privatisation

But workers must remain vigilant

ONLY WEEKS before the G8 summit, Pakistan telecom workers, through all-out struggle, have shown how to fight privatisation - one element of the 'neo-liberal' policies promoted by the likes of Bush and Blair.

KHALID BHATTI, Socialist Movement Pakistan, [the Pakistan section of the Committee for a Workers' International (CWI), the socialist international organisation to which the Socialist Party is affiliated] reports on this important struggle.

ON FRIDAY 3 June, representatives of the Pakistani government signed an agreement with the nine-union strong Action Committee in Pakistan Telecommunications Company Ltd (PTCL), following ten days of strike action. This was reported on all the major satellite and TV channels, which showed scenes of celebrating telecommunications workers.

This was an important victory for the telecommunication workers and a major setback for the General Musharraf government.

The government agreed to the "indefinite postponement of privatisation" and to "all 28 demands [on workers' pay and conditions] and unions will start negotiations with management on the implementation of these demands".

Not yet over

However, it is clear that the struggle against privatisation of the company is not yet over.

The Socialist Movement Pakistan (SMP) and Trade Union Rights Campaign Pakistan (TURCP) members, who played a leading role in developing the mass struggle of the telecommunications workers which led to the all-out strike, warned the Action Committee that the government's retreat was only temporary.

Indeed, over the weekend the government tried to ignore the agreement it had just signed and the Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications briefed various journalists that he wished to reintroduce privatisation again by the end of June.

What particularly worried the government was the potential of a collapse in the Stock Exchange on Monday morning because recently PTCL shares have made up 25% of the volume of traded shares.

Buzzing

Also, it is undoubtedly the case that phone lines have been buzzing over the weekend with Musharraf's allies in the West (US imperialism, the World Bank and IMF) expressing their dismay at the government's retreat.

As a result, government spokespersons are implicitly using the fact that some of the union leaders are showing signs of wavering on the issue of privatisation in return for improved wages and conditions, to undermine the extent of the victory.

SMP members have warned union leaders not to fall into this trap, and emphasised the necessity to show a strong united position to the government during negotiations. We explained that government officials are making these statements in an attempt to give the impression that it is 'business as usual' and privatisation will continue without delay.

The Action Committee held a national meeting on Sunday 5 June, where it decided to reject any attempt to link acceptance of the pay and conditions package to privatisation. The Action Committee also threatened to restart the strike if the government proceeded to announce new dates for bidding for shares in PTCL. If the Action Committee maintain this position this will be a positive development, especially since some of the union leaders involved have capitulated to management in the past.

Inspiration

Notwithstanding these developments, the victory is an inspiration for many workers in Pakistan who want to fight against privatisation, 'downsizing', anti-trade union laws and the neo-liberal economic agenda of the IMF and World Bank, viciously implemented since 1999 by the Musharraf regime.

In the last five years the government has stepped up the pace of the privatisation process. They have tried to privatise PTCL since 1994, but failed on two occasions because of resistance from the workforce. The latest attempt was the most serious one in this regard.

The regime did not expect much resistance from the trade unions and was confident in announcing the start of bidding for shares for 10 June. But strike action and the protest movement forced the government to retreat.

"We have one language... no to privatisation"

PTCL WORKERS showed to the right wing and even some of the more 'left' union leaders that a struggle against anti-working class policies is possible.

This strike also contradicts the claims of right-wing union leaders that workers don't want to fight. The telecom workers have proved that it is the leaders, not the workers, which repeatedly try to avoid confrontation.

Some of the developments in previous struggles and since the strike ended show that Pakistani workers will have to fight not only against the neo-liberal offensive but also against the opportunist right-wing union leaders. The workers need democratic unions and fighting leaderships to defeat neo-liberal economic policies.

This struggle is also a practical answer to the so-called 'left' leaders and intellectuals, who believe that working class is finished as a force to transform society and is not willing to fight.

In Pakistan, from the comfort of their plush sitting rooms in air-conditioned houses in the secluded middle-class cantonments, they always criticise the working class for not rising against capitalism and imperialism. But when telecom workers went on strike, these leaders and intellectuals remained silent.

The telecom workers once again proved the point that workers' unity is potentially very powerful and which under certain conditions can even inflict a defeat on a military regime.

The enormous mood for unity amongst the workforce, given voice by the demands of the SMP and the TURCP, drove the union leaders together and led to the formation of a united Action Committee. It was important for the workers to forge unity to overcome all divisions including religious, national, regional, caste and ethnic ones which sometimes have existed amongst the telecomm workers.

The PTCL management and the ruling class behind them have always use these divisions to divide workers in the industry. But in this strike workers once again proved that they can overcome these divisions in struggle.

One worker said "We are not Punjabis, Pashtuns or Sindhis, but we are workers. We think as workers and nobody can divide us on the basis of religion, caste, nationality or language. We have one language and that is no to privatisation."

For a new mass workers' party

THE ISSUE of a political party that acts in the interests of the working class also came up sharply during the struggle.

The majority of workers were of the opinion that there is no mass political party, which can defend the interests of working class. But many are in favour of a new workers' party.

The workers showed their anger against representatives of the capitalist Pakistani Peoples Party (PPP), and the Islamic Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) when these parties sent representatives to a public meeting called to support the striking telecom workers. Workers cheered speakers from the SMP when they criticised these parties for being amongst the first to introduce privatisation when they were in government.

The MMA has tried to use the strike to revive its falling support amongst the working class in general and telecom workers in particular. They are using radical rhetoric on social issues and also anti-American sentiments to muster their support. This reflects the political vacuum that exists but also the potential for a socialist or left party. This will become one of the most important questions for the working class as its struggles unfold.

The PPP has also shown an interest in this struggle. However, what they are more interested in is power - with the help of US imperialism and the Pakistani generals. The PPP will, without hesitation, implement neo-liberal economic policies if they come into power, as they did on two previous occasions. Workers have learned through struggle which political forces are really with them during the struggle. Only socialists showed practical solidarity with striking workers.

Socialism and international solidarity

THIS STRUGGLE also showed that even a small force can play a key role in the struggles with correct ideas, tactics and strategy. The SMP with limited resources played a key role in organising this strike and also in its strategy and tactics. The solidarity campaign launched by SMP through the TURCP had a huge impact on the final outcome of this struggle.

The material produced by the SMP and TURCP also had a big impact on workers' consciousness. This material helped them take a solid stance against privatisation.

The solidarity campaign forced other unions and federations to come out in support of telecom workers. This intervention made all the difference in the strike. The Action Committee leaders have already commented on the important role played by the SMP and TURCP this struggle.

The international solidarity and protest campaign was vital in the success of this struggle. Mainly organised by the CWI, the protest letters and solidarity messages gave a boost to the workers during a period when their stamina was being tested and they faced the threat of harassment by the paramilitary police.

Whatever the final outcome of this particular stage of the struggle against privatisation, it is clear that the government lost the initiative during important parts of the strike and the Pakistani working class has learned valuable lessons which will be of great use in future struggles.

Stop Press:

Formal negotiations between the Privatisation Commission/PTCL management and the Action Committee broke down on 6 June. Some union leaders want to agree a deal on privatisation. Others have threatened to restart the strike if the Commission unilaterally announces a resumption of the privatisation process.

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