Malir(Correspondent) Eight thousand dismissed employees of Pakistan Steel Mills have announced a decisive struggle against the government and management. Speaking at a crowded press conference at the Awami Press Club Malir under the banner of their new alliance, Pak Steel Struggle Alliance, the workers said they would now launch an organized movement for their rights, beginning with an All Parties Conference.
Alliance leaders including Naveed Aftab, Rehman Shah, Elhwayo Bughio, Gagan Das, Javed Ahmed Sheikh, Idrees Chandio, Abdul Haq Channa, Wali Narejo Advocate, Sadauddin Pehnor and others addressed the media. They said Pakistan Steel Mills was established in 1973 at a cost of 25 billion rupees, with an annual production capacity of 1.1 million tons. Russian experts had guaranteed its operation for 100 years, but incompetent management destroyed it within just 30 years.
The leaders said that despite the mill’s closure for the past 10 years, employees who were forcibly dismissed in 2020 and 2021 have not yet been paid their dues. They noted that while the Appellate Tribunal had ruled in favor of the employees, the management obtained a stay order from the High Court. They further alleged that the government has turned Steel Town into a “Karbala,” cutting off basic facilities such as electricity, water, and gas in an attempt to force residents to vacate their homes — a move that is illegal under the 2022 policy until dues are cleared.They revealed that 2.87 billion rupees have recently been released for the dismissed employees, which must be disbursed immediately. Recalling the historic sit-in at Bin Qasim railway track on April 7, 2025, they said it was ended after assurances by the Sindh Chief Minister, but six months have passed without a single promise being fulfilled.The leaders demanded that the CEO of Steel Mills be removed and replaced with a qualified metallurgical engineer, the mill be revived in collaboration with Russia, dismissed employees be reinstated, Steel Town houses be given to employees on ownership rights, and electricity and gas services be restored immediately.
