Daily Times reports that over 50,000 PTCL employees are observing a country wide strike. The PTCL worker’s union claims that they have not been offered as raise for the past six years and are demanding more incentives and job surety before PTCL’s upcoming round of privatization. Talks between the Union and management (chaired by the Minister of IT, Awais Khan Leghri) have ended bitterly with both sides refusing to budge on their stance. Meanwhile a bearish trend has hit the country’s stock markets partially due to the strike.
With about $2 billon at stake are the workers trying to unfairly twist the Government’s arm less than a month before the privatization?
PTCL updateDawn has the latest update on the strike situation. The GoP has threatened to call in the ARMY to take control of the PTCL installations in the event that talk fails between the union and workers.
In their print edition, Dawn states that the privitization process might be delayed. Bidding was scheduled to start on the 28th of May but has been postponted to the 10th of June due to the strike. Further, Dawn’s sources say that most of the eight companies qualified for bidding were considering to withdraw after the new situation.
Some more facts about the deal: GOP is selling 26% shares of PTCL and will give up 58% voting rights in the board of directors to the buyer aswell as 26% of PTCLs profits.
I’m sure a few of the buyers will gladly stick around if the Government manages to convince the employees to go through with the deal, but for now, it seems like the workers are having their way/
Related updated link fromRelated updated link from the BBC here.