KARACHI, Feb 18: Various workers organizations have demanded that all the Pearl Continental Union leaders who have been arrested following a fire incident at the hotel be released before Eid.

At a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Monday, leaders of various workers organizations claimed that the hotel’s workers were being held in custody under fabricated charges.

They alleged that the hotel management had put on the fire itself so that on one hand it claimed huge losses from the insurance company and on the other it could use the incident to crush the union activities in the organization.

Elaborating the highhanded attitude of the management, they said that when the hotel’s workers union leaders, Mohammed Nasir, Mohammed Nawaz and Chetan, when they after being released by police went to resume their duties, the management suspended them for being absent from duty, though the management had been informed that they were in custody.

They said that if rest of the arrested workers were not released before Eid, they would stage a demonstration at the Governor’s Hose after Eid prayers.

Pearl Continental Hotel Employees Trade Unions Federation president Malak Sher Ahmad Khan, National Alliance of Trade Unions Federations Convener Liaquat Ali Sahi, representative of the International Union of the Food, Qamarul Hasan, and others also spoke.