Support the 7-Year Struggle for Justice at Pakistan's Pearl Continental Karachi Hotel

The union of workers at the Pearl Continental Hotel in Karachi, Pakistan -. a luxury, 5-star establishment where a standard room costs approximately two month's basic salary - is stepping up its 7-year struggle for union rights and recognition. Union members and officers have faced mass dismissals, harassment, police violence, arbitrary detention and sustained hardship, but the Pearl Continental Karachi Hotel Workers Union is more determined than ever to fight until victory in what has become Pakistan's longest-running labour dispute. You can support their struggle by using the form below to send a message to the government of Pakistan and to the hotel owner.

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Type in your message here - or just use the existing message. To Mr. Syed Khursheed Shah Minister of Labour, Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis Fax 92 51 9206283 cc Mr. Sahruddin Hashwani, Chairman Pakistan Services Ltd. Pearl Continental Hotel Karachi Fax: +92 21 568-1835/568-2655 Dear Sir, I have been informed by the IUF, an international trade union federation representing over 12 million members in 122 countries, about repeated and serious violations of basic democratic rights at Karachi's Pearl Continental Hotel. Since September 2001, the democratically elected trade union representing the overwhelming majority of hotel employees has been seeking to defend the trade union rights guaranteed workers under Pakistan's constitution and international Conventions. Members and office-bearers of the Pearl Continental Hotel Workers' Union have been brutally dismissed from their jobs, detained illegally by police, threatened with violence and beaten at a local police station in the presence of hotel management staff. At no time during these events has there been any indication that the laws which exist in principle to protect Pakistan's workers are being enforced, or that the principle of equal justice before the law is being applied. In June 2003, the United Nations' ILO concluded that grave violations of trade union rights had been committed by the hotel management and local authorities, instructed the government to fully investigate the incidents of police detention, violence and harassment of union members and requested that the government report back to the ILO. To date, no government of Pakistan has responded to the ILO recommendations. I therefore ask that you use your good offices to intervene with the management and owner of the Pearl Continental Hotel to ensure that the rights of the Pearl Continental Hotel Workers' Union are fully respected and that management cease all violence and intimidation directed against the employees of this establishment and their trade union. Negotiations are urgently needed to ensure that terminated workers and union office bearers are reinstated (including those on involuntary leave), management formally recognizes the union, restores the dues checkoff system, negotiates a collective bargaining agreement and immediately ceases all harassment of union members and officers. Yours sincerely, If you would like to receive future urgent action alerts from us, please check this box:

Date updated : 13-Aug-2008 Language : en Status: active