Alignments in the rank and file of trade unions are in the offing in Pakistan after more than half-a-century without any real success. Differences between unions have caused heavy losses to the labour movement and thus to the interests of workers. Instead of a few instances when trade unions proved their credentials and recorded historic struggles to earn victory for the labour class, there is not much to mention. Ironically, the trade union movement in Pakistan, which basically was an offshoot of the trade union movement in a united India, was organised on political lines ever since the birth of the nation. In the glorious early days of the movement, the labour organisations were divided into one that was leaned to the Chinese political thought and the other tied to the USSR. A small segment was also attached to religious ideology.

Unions and the Military

With politics of the left either socialist or the pro-Russian communist, the trade unions refused to respect the other. This brought the trade union movement towards more division and hence made it so weak during the military dictatorships. Success of the trade union movement against General Ayub Khan was a major one, but analysts attribute this victory to the prevailing political conditions. Instead, the heroic struggle of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and other trade unions during the regime of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (the first elected prime minister of the country executed by the military dictatorship in 1978), has been a milestone was a milestone in the trade union struggle so far.

General Zia-ul-Haq was the first Pakistani ruler who succeeded in dividing the trade union movement on ethnic and religious lines. This helped in strengthening his dictatorial regime, but also brought the political parties, trade unions, students’ organisations and other movements on the verge of death. His policies also destroyed the traditions and values of the society. A race for perks and privileges began among the political workers and trade union activists. The trade union movement like the political movement weakened further and a few trade union leaders benefited from these policies. This attitude of the military dictator along with anti-labour bureaucracy and repressive regimes at work places advanced further and succeeded in dismantling workers’ rights. This advance of the military-bureaucracy-industrialist mindset culminated in the Industrial Relations Ordinance (IRO) 2002, described by many as the “black law” virtually depriving workers of their basic and fundamental rights.

Black Law Brings Unions Together

Promulgation of IRO 2002 saw the trade unions taking their first step towards labour unity. Trade unions with different political leanings began coming closer without any indoctrination. In fact, it was a labour support group, called PILER, which felt the urgent need to forge a united and widely representative body of workers and initiated the process to bring all major trade unions on one platform. It sought to make the trade union leaders understand that a scattered movement would produce only further negative results. This was an alarm for the leaders, who were sensitive about their positions. Now all major trade unions want to redefine their roles in the new federation and their share and size in the leadership. Pakistan is poised to see a united federation of trade unions representing all like-minded organisations.