LAHORE, Nov 14: The issues pertaining to workers’ rights, privileges and responsibilities were highlighted at a seminar held here on Wednesday with Punjab Law Minister Dr Khalid Ranjha in the chair.

The minister and other speakers stressed the need for motivating the working class to ensure maintenance of cordial atmosphere in the organizations they were working in. The workers should claim their genuine rights but also keep responsibilities in mind.

Various steps lately taken by the government and formulation of laws aimed at improving the lot of the working people in the country were also explained by the speakers.

Organized jointly by the All-Pakistan Federation of Trade Unions, federal labour ministry and provincial directorate of workers’ education, the seminar was addressed, among others, by trade union activists Amin Rathore, Kokab Iqbal, Badarul Islam Abdali and Altaf Baloch, Workers Welfare Fund secretary Najmuddin Najmi, former principal of the Punjab University Law College Iqbal Moakal and Jail Staff Training Institute, Lahore, former principal Abdul Majeed Oalakh.

Speaking on the occasion, the APFTU leaders urged the government that rights of workers to form unions, should be recognized without any exception.

Another demand made by them was that farm workers in rural areas should also be given the right to form their trade unions.