Daily Times

We condemn the manner in which Railways Minister Saad Rafique has dealt with the All-Pakistan Train Drivers Association.

The situation should not have been allowed to escalate. Meaning that the drivers’ grievances should have been registered instead of being ignored to the point where they felt that they had no choice but to strike. What happened next should not have. Meaning that the railway management need not have push full steam ahead to engage retired and contract workers to operate the trains. Yet in doing so, it managed in one fell swoop to undermine the democratic right to protest.

It is a shame that no one has thus far taught the Railways Minister the meaning of irony. For it might have saved him the embarrassment of slamming as irresponsible the striking drivers — when he was the one who endangered passengers by hiring those who are not formally part of permanent railway staff.

Quite possibly, however, Rafique was unaware of some or all of these developments. Meaning that he may have been as caught off guard by the strike as the next person. After all, nowadays all the Railways Minister seems entirely preoccupied with defending the Prime Minister before the media after each cliff-hanger episode of the Panama Papers saga.

Therefore, someone should do the decent thing and remind him that his primary responsibility is towards the Railways, including the drivers without whose labour the organisation cannot operate. Had he been cognisant of his responsibilities — he would have known that the only party to have acted irresponsibly was the management itself. The drivers operate trains everyday, alongside those serving in railways workshops and on open lines. They are the ones who keep the trains operational.

Then there is also the not insignificant question of the striking workers’ demands being entirely reasonable, which include: pay scale upgrade, payment for work done over and above eight-hour shifts, and a distance allowance. Yet one application that seems to have particularly irritated the minister pertained to the reinstatement of sacked employees. While Rafique claims that negligence in performance of duties had led to the sackings — the drivers’ association holds that these employees were fired in an unjust manner. There is no reason why the Minister and the management cannot at least look into these cases to see if this is a legitimate complaint. On the contrary, if the management is so confident about the negligence question — it can share evidence with the drivers association to quash the matter once and for all.

Finally, there is absolutely no justification for arresting protesting drivers under the Anti-Terrorism Act. What the workers did was an act of collective bargaining. The right to form trade unions is a right won by working people across the globe as a result of relentless struggle and countless sacrifices. Exercising this right is not a terrorist act. But by prosecuting striking workers for the above — the government has seen fit to make light of an extremely serious problem that this country has been facing for the past two decades.

We say enough is enough, Mr Saad Rafique. It’s time to jump off the gravy train and get down to the real work of ministering.*

Published in Daily Times, July 25^th 2017.