The human rights activists and labourorganisations condemned the government over sacking Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) 4,544 employees. Reacting to the heartless step taken by the federal government in taking away livelihoods of so many households, the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research’ s executive director Karamat Ali said that this was only the beginning of the end for PSM. “Those who were not sacked on Friday are also going to lose their jobs eventually because it looks like the government wants to close the mills entirely. Had they been serious about reviving it, they would not have done this,” he said. “They will probably convert PSM to something else. We already know of their ideas of building modern cities on the twin islands of Buddu and Bundal,” he said, adding that if the intention was of starting some other venture on PSM land, then it would be an illegal step. “You see, the agreement for this land given by the Sindh government is specifically for PSM. If the PSM closes down, the land should be returned to Sindh government,” he explained. “Just like PSM, the government is also not interested in doing anything for national carrier Pakistan International Airlines, where some 7,000 employees are facing unemployment as the airline loses credibility all over the world. “Deputy general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) Nasir Mansoor also said that he felt that the federal government had an eye on PSM’s prime land. “It’s 19,000 acres of prime land, and it is beachside property. There is a long conveyor belt there in place that goes up to Karachi port. Not just this, PSM also has an oxygen plant that supplies and sells oxygen to hospitals. So there is so much more there than just expensive land,” he pointed out. “Even earlier governments had their eye on all this,” he said, adding: “But, PSM should be revived. There is a need for steel in this country where construction is on the rise. But there is the imports lobby here, too, which wants to see PSM closed. The same is the case with ship-breaking industry. It is also making losses.” Reacting strongly to the firing of PSM employees, Mr Mansoor said that even though it was being said that the mills needed to shed its burden of employees as it is going into heavy losses, there was still hiring happening there. Hundreds of sacked employees of PSM on Saturday blocked main National Highway for hours in protest of their abrupt retrenchment through letters sent to their homes. The employees blocked the highway at the Steel Town roundabout. They were also joined by local workers of the Pakistan People’s Party and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf.
