PPP to resist Pakistan Steel workers retrenchment: Saeed Ghani

KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party has vowed to resist retrenchment of Pakistan Steel employees, expressing its solidarity with the workers, ARY News reported on Sunday.

In a press conference, Sindh’s education minister Saeed Ghani giving the PPP stance over the matter said, “Sindh is ready to run the mill if the Centre could not do so. Federal government should talk with us,” he said.

“We will give guarantee that no employee of Pakistan Steel will be retrenched,” he said.

He said a wrong impression being given that People’s Party recruited its people in the mill. He said no workers recruited during PPP governments, “We only regularized contract employees of the mill.” People’s Party was not in power from 1996 to 2008, when the workers were recruited in Pakistan Steel, Ghani said.

Referring an observation of the Supreme Court, the government has taken decision of the workers retrenchment, he said. The Supreme Court had halted a decision of privatization of Pakistan steel with its ruling in 2006, he further said.

“Had the government got approval from the Council of Common Interest (CCI) about the steel mills decision,” PPP leader asked. “We will resist any decision not made at the platform of the CCI,” he said.

Pakistan Steel’s 9500 employees would not accept this decision as spectators and People’s Party will stand alongside the workers in their cause, Saeed Ghani further said.

“The centre of attraction is the land of Pakistan Steel, which values billions of rupees,” he said. The owner of this land is Sindh and a decision without taking the Government of Sindh in confidence would not be accepted,” he said. “The province could take back its land, which was granted to the federation for a particular purpose, if it goes back from it” the minister said.

“The MQM has also condemned decision of retrenchment of steel mills employees, hopefully they will resist the decision in federal cabinet,” Saeed Ghani said.

Sindh minister also criticized previous PML-N government for denying supply of gas to steel mills. “It was an inappropriate decision. The mill was running with 65 production capacity at that time, which could have help it in narrowing or even wiping out the loss,” he said.

“SSGC was requiring funds, so it disconnected gas supply to the steel mill,” Sindh minister said. “The PTI, PPP and Jamat Islami had opposed privatization of Pakistan Steel during the PML-N tenure,” he added.