Nine union officers and a member of the Pearl Continental Hotel Employees Union Lahore face fabricated criminal charges (which at one point included "terrorism") following the union's victory in a representation election in February. The Lahore Pearl Continental is part of the upscale Pearl Continental chain owned by businessman Sadruddin Hashwani, one of the wealthiest men in the country. The anti-union tactics mark an escalation over management's brutal anti-union repression at the Pearl Continental Karachi [1], where the union recently won its demands following a bitter ten-year struggle for basic rights.
Management has combated the union since its formation, but the union has persisted, and February 13, 2012 was officially set as the day for the employees to vote on their representation, with the Hotel Employees Union having to compete with a pro-management organization. Management refused to provide the responsible government official with the list of employees, as prescribed by law. When the labor officer succeeded in obtaining the list from the social security administration; management responded by enlisting Lahore Commissioner Jawwad Rafiq Malik - the brother of the hotel's Human Resources Director - to confiscate the voting documents, after which the labour officer's office was sealed!
The Punjab High Court nonetheless ordered the voting process to proceed and on February 13, despite many management threats against workers and efforts to prevent them from casting their votes, the Pearl Continental Hotel Employees Union Lahore won the election and was certified by the labour officer.
On March 12, top management and officers from the pro-management union were seen vandalizing the human resources department and setting fires. The Employees Union officers were falsely accused of committing these acts of vandalism and management filed police complaints against all the union office bearers and one member, a contract worker. The following day, March 13, the union chairman, senior vice president, vice president, publicity secretary and finance secretary were arrested at the hotel; the union officers were ordered to appear in court on the basis of the absurd charges in the police complaints. Management also retaliated against union supporters by dismissing a number of contract workers at the hotel without warning and without providing grounds for dismissal.
On April 4 bail was approved and the union officers were released. The same Commissioner who illegally seized the election documents in February then used his influence to add new charges under the 1997 Anti-Terrorism Act one month after the initial phony vandalism charges.. Bail was cancelled, and union President Muhammad Nasir (left) was arrested and charged in the special Anti-Terrorism Courts The charges included kidnapping for ransom, possessing unauthorized firearms and other fabrications which carry combined sentences of more than 20 years. Anti-terrorism charges were also brought against the other union officers.
The union appealed these absurd charges to the Punjab High Court, which after weeks of delay tactics by management lawyers ordered the terrorism charges dropped from the police report. The nine officers and one member are still charged with the acts of vandalism committed by management.
Phony arson charges - eventually thrown out of court after years of strenuous legal effort and persistent worker protest - were used at the Pearl Continental Karachi hotel to dismiss union leaders and have them jailed. This tactic is again being used by Pearl Continental management, but with a new, sinister addition, the attempted use of the Anti-terrorism Act to smash a union keep union leaders behind bars on trumped-up charges.
ACT NOW! Click here to send a message [2] calling on the federal and Punjab state authorities to act to ensure that all charges against the Pearl Continental Hotel Employees Union Lahore officers are immediately and unconditionally dropped. The government should investigate the use of false charges, including charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act, to jail union leaders and undermine legitimate trade union organization and activity. The management of the Pearl Continental Lahore hotel must recognize the union and enter into good faith negotiations onthe union's charter of demands without delay. All workers, including contract workers, dismissed following the union's representation win must be fully reinstated.
May Day in Karachi - Pearl Continental Karachi union members rally in solidarity with the union at Pearl Continental Lahore. The banner salutes the Chicago Haymarket martyrs and calls for the reinstatement of all workers dismissed from Pearl Continental Hotels/drop the terrorist act cases against Pearl Continental Lahore union leaders.