The World Federation
of Trade Unions [WFTU] Trade Union International Public Services and Allied
[TUI PS & A] representing more than 30 million members in the public
service, take this opportunity to pledge our unwavering solidarity and support
to thousands of teachers’ demands in Pakistan represented by the “Pakistan
Teachers Federation (PTF)”.
Teachers are
protesting against the refusal by government for teachers to draw the House Rent
Allowance as was agreed by government and associations in 2017. Teachers like
other public service workers have rights to decent housing and shelter. It is
these teachers and other workers in schools and education institutions that
have made sure that learning and teaching continued in our schools during this
devastating COVID-19 Pandemic, in most instances working without adequate PPEs.
We fully support the
struggles waged by workers in Pakistan in the Education system. Teachers in
Pakistan are denied the rights to form unions as a result these workers are
being denied their universal rights to among others, rights to strike and
collective bargaining. We condemn these neo-liberal policies of the Pakistan
government which are old and outdated and belong to the dust bins. We view this
as a serious contravention of the ILO conventions.
These demands have
also exposed the long suffering and neglect of teachersby government where
teachers can only afford to rent and not able to afford to buy proper housing
for their families.
WFTU-TUI-PS&A therefore
demand that the government of Pakistan listen to the demands of Teachers and implement
the 2017 wage agreement signed with teachers.
We call upon all our
members around the world in particular in our Asia Pacific Region to pledge
solidarity with all the teacher and education workers in Pakistan so that the
government can respond positively to their demands.
Issued
by Zola Saphetha General Secretary TUI-PS&A
For
media enquiries: Clever Banganayi (Information & Publicity officer +27721426625),
clever@nehawu.org.za