February 14, 2002	Thursday	Zilhaj 1, 1422

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HYDERABAD, Feb 13: A large number of workers under the banner of All Pakistan Trade Unions Organization (APTUO) took out a rally from Hyder Chowk to the press club to protest against the violation of workers rights here on Wednesday.

They carried banners and placards inscribed with various slogans demanding rights of workers.

Speaking at the rally, APTOU chairman Bashir Ahmed and others accused factory owners of violating the rights of the workers.

They said that the workers were not being issued appointment letters and they were deprived of social security as their names were not being registered.

They added that factory owners were also violating labour laws with complete impunity.

Thousands of factories were lying closed in the country and workers of the functional ones were not being paid their wages according to law, they deplored.

The labour leaders blamed the Fateh Textile Mills for not paying workers wages on time and withholding the payment of bonus.

They said that the Gharo-Dhabeji was a big industrial zone but out of 22 factories only two factories were running there and 10,000 workers of the remaining 20 units had been rendered jobless.

They pointed out that with the consent of the factory owners the government had fixed Rs3,000 as minimum wages but the notification was issued for Rs2,500 only. They alleged that even this notification was not being implemented.

Similarly, they said that sugar mill workers had been sacked at a very large scale and remaining ones were being deprived of facilities.

They said that sugar mills had introduced contract and daily wage systems to deprive the workers of their bonus and gratuity.

They accused Fauji Sugar Mills, Tando Mohammad Khan, and Khoski Susugar Mills, for violating legal agreements and refusing to accept the trade unions.

They said that Dhabeji Salt Works, which was a profitable unit, was being closed and its workers had not been paid their legal salaries for the last several months.

The labour leaders were equally critical of the Nazims and said that instead of paying salaries to the municipal employees, they were claiming that trade unionism had been banned.

They said 350 workers of the Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi, had been dismissed from service.

They demanded that the dismissed workers be reinstated, excesses against workers be stopped and closed factories be made functional.