Karachi, At a Labor Day celebration organized by the People’s Labor Bureau at the Karachi Arts Council, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), spoke strongly in favor of using public-private partnerships (PPPs) to manage key national institutions like Pakistan Airlines and Pakistan Steel Mills, rather than fully privatizing them. He also urged the federal government to tackle inflation and improve workers’ salaries in the upcoming budget.
According to Pakistan Peoples Party, Chairman Bhutto Zardari praised the contributions of workers to both the global and Pakistani economies, asserting the PPP’s commitment to worker rights. He recalled the legacy of PPP leaders Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who established the right for workers to form unions and created institutions for their welfare, and Benazir Bhutto, who acted to free unjustly imprisoned worker representatives immediately upon taking office.
The Chairman highlighted the progress made under previous PPP administrations, including the removal of anti-labor clauses from the constitution and notable increases in worker salaries and pensions. He noted that these efforts were unmatched except by the administration of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
Bilawal Bhutto emphasized the achievements of the Sindh Assembly in passing worker-friendly legislation and mentioned the Benazir Mazdoor Card initiative. He pointed out that its full implementation depends on the federal government’s adherence to the 18th Amendment, which includes the devolution of certain powers to the provinces.
Further emphasizing the benefits of PPP models, Chairman Bhutto Zardari highlighted the success of Sindh’s Thar Coal Project, managed through a public-private partnership, as a model for other provinces and for managing national assets like Pakistan Steel Mills. He argued for more cooperative approaches between federal and provincial governments, especially in decisions about state assets such as the lands of Pakistan Steel Mills, which he claimed are owned by the Sindh government.
In closing, the Chairman announced the appointment of former Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani to lead the People’s Labor Bureau, signaling an intensification of the PPP’s labor advocacy efforts nationwide.