Union Strike One

Lets be realistic..Pakistans State Owned Enterprises are overstaffed monoliths..they are only divided into 3 types:
1) Overstaffed Monoliths that post profits because of their monopolies
2) overstaffed and corrupt monoliths that post losses inspite of their monopolies
3) those that collapse because of their losses..

Onto another argument..what business does the government have in doing business? Why should the GOP with it`s brilliant cadre of leaders have anything to do wth running telecom firms or banks? regulate yes..run NO..unless its role was specifically poverty alleviation or transfer of technology

Lastly..I think this is the first purely trade union strike in Pakistan..in ages..it must have spooked the PML-Q politicos who fear populism like nobodies biz...anyway a positive sign..

Whats going on, pakistanis are writing about their local issues instead of ummah issues. Is everything alright?.

Great issue! Will comment more later.

In the end everything comes down to money:

``LAHORE: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) on Tuesday reached an agreement with leaders of PTCL Telecom Employees Union - the largest of the nine unions forming PTCL Action Committee, reported Dow Jones Newswires............Shahid Ishaq Butt, a Telecom union leader, said the strike was being called off and the union won’t oppose privatisation...........Meanwhile, PTCL president Junaid Khan told Geo news channel that the previous agreement had been amended and a new mutually agreed upon pact was formed that assured job security to the employees. He said the union members had wanted security and their pay package revised, which had delayed the agreement.`` www.dailytimes.com.pk

The govt. has seen its first major employee strike. And seems to have dealt with it quite aptly.

The telecommunications sector in Pakistan is in an unprecedented boom. Any competent, over even average person, in this sector in Pakistan is going to make a lot of money. So much so, that Comp. Science depts. in Pakistan are now facing problems, because all the good students have started going into telecommunications. The software revolution that everyone was talking about, never came. But apparently a telecom revolution seems to have occured.......

actually this article has a glaring factual error. ptcl`s 2004 annual net profit (profit after tax)was US$ 496 million and not US$ 30 million as claimed by the author. this information can be verified from ptcl`s 2004 income statement available at the following link:

http://www.ptcl.com.pk/corporate_info/financial/anual_report%202004/comp_financial_con1.pdf

intersting to note that this website relies on analysis, people who are either (a) dishonest or (b) incompetent or maybe a combination of both. this is also why i think pakistanis with a ``liberal agenda`` such as chowk-staff are actually no different from the mullah crowd. both these groups are dishonest because both are intent on pushing an agenda rather than relying on facts to reach appropriate conclusion. main difference between chowk-staff and the mullah crowd is that chowk-staff are pushing an agenda which is alien to pakistanis and thus will not find any takers. rather extremist agenda of chowk-types will drive awam into the arms of the mullahs and that wont be pretty as examples in iran and afghanistan indicates.

shabash juwan:

Rezwan:
Thnks for coming with actual state in PTCL and the organized struggle of the union. Keep updating. Privatizing step of PTCL would be a step towards killing Pakistan with own hands.

Only in pakland will you find troops in a communications office.How reassuring for foreign investors.

Well, click on these links and see what an open, democratic society, free market economics and multiculturalism is doing to your very large neighbor to your east....

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=224312

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=212621

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=224568

Yes, very well dealt with. Everytime a strike occurs, let`s send in the Army. :D Next time, we should include the Air Force and the Navy (perhaps they could do some exercises on Rawal Lake).

No I do not think so, today PTCL ppl said they will not destroy communications but strike will go on however there was no news of stoppage of privatization.

A lot has happened since the article was written over a week ago. For an update, those who are interested can visit:

www.blogomonster.com/rizwan

and read the article:

`The State Strikes Back`

But the latest is that splinter groups have been formed within the Union. I guess all the state harrassment has payed off. But there is still some juice left in this union.

rizwan

faisaluno: sorry for the error about the profits. i somehow thought that THE NEWS was a reliable source of information for taking figures. i was obviously wrong. thanks for correcting me.

and the liberal agenda is not necessarily spoused by a lot of people. many of us are just publishing and getting the word around.

Peters: yes, there are pakistani`s who are not the biggest fan of the so called `Ummah` . !

Rozaiba, PTCL is a national asset right now and it`s security can not be comprimised upon until the privitization takes place. The Federal Government has taken a decision to privitize it and it is the government and not the union`s who steer the direction of the Pakistan state.

Re: # 14

Haroon, because the Pakistan Army has nothing better to do and has failed in its professional duties, it may as well fight the trade unions. I think we should document this episode and send it to the Defense colleges where young cadets are told inspirational tales of how the Pakistani Army Jawans successfully fought the trade unions. They could also be taught how the Pakistan Army became the largest land owner and largest corporate entity in the country while it was buffered with subsidies from the State and didn`t have to pay any taxes on profits.

The course book should be titled: ``How to take over a country - your own country!``

Young cadets will most certainly leave the classes with prideful eyes and look forward to a bright future looting the country.

Although, there are points scattered through out this heart-felt article that I feel sympathetic towards, I think the debate between Privatisation and Nationalisation is an old one and if I may say so, a settled one - firmly in the favour of the P word!

I totally disagree with you Rizwan that the purpose of a state-run organisation is to serve people that it employs! The purpose of a state-run organisation is surely to serve the people of the country. And the two we all know are NOT the same! Providing livelihood for people is the job of the government, not PTCL. The job of the PTCL is to provide the state-of-the-art telecoms services across the nation.

And once it has been privatised (which is bound to happen sooner or later), its additional responsibility will be to provide an increased value to its shareholders, which it will have to achieve by becoming more attractive to the consumer. Sounds like it’s a win-win for the country. If some people (fellow countrymen and women) owning shares in the company make a bit of money along the way, good for them!

Having said all of that, I do think the IPO will have to be carefully managed. I`m not totally against the idea of breaking a company down, before privatising it. This way, it can be ensured that the organisation does not enjoy the sector monopoly that it once had under the government. The thought of a single private entity solely controlling a lucrative public sector is quite frightening in itself.

I like Zakkk`s way of putting it: regulate yes, run no! Good one!

Also not sure if the politics of trade unions is exactly a step in the right direction! But will have to see the details of what exactly happened in this case to make up my mind.