July 19, 2008	Saturday	Rajab 15, 1429

HYDERABAD, July 18: A complete strike was observed in the offices of Pakistan Telecommunication Company’s Hyderabad region in protest against the unified pay scale scheme introduced by the management.

CBA leaders, deputy central chief organiser of Pakistan Telecommunication Employees Union Shakeel Ahmed Khan and Shafi Mallah said at a big gathering of workers at old Central Telegraph Office (CTO) that the leaders and the People’s Labour Bureau (PLB) with whom the government and the PTCL management had held talks had no say and no representation among PTCL employees.

They rejected their announcement that strike had been called off and termed them non-representative and non-CBA union leaders. The government and PTCL management had talked with the people who had been defeated in last referendum, they said.

The demand for release of 200 employees’ salaries that had been accepted was not an issue raised by the CBA leaders. They actual demand was company to withdraw unified pay scale which was still hanging over their head like a sword of Damocles.

They said that they would continue the strike until their demand was accepted as the acceptance of UPS would be tantamount to sealing employees’ fate in the company.

The employees also staged a rally, which marched from CTO Compound to the press club.

In Dadu, Mehar, Johi, Sehwan and Kotri, PTCL employees held similar protests outside their offices to press the company for accepting their demands.