LAHORE, July 8: Expressing grave concern over the upward inflationary trend in the country, the All Pakistan Trade Unions Federation has decided to launch an organized campaign against price-hike of essential commodities and the government apathy towards mitigating the economic sufferings of the working class.

A workers’ meeting held here in the Gulberg industrial area on Monday highlighted the problems faced by workers and the people belonging to the low-income groups and blamed the government for its failure to check the mounting inflation.

The meeting presided over by APTUF secretary-general Gulzar Ahmad Chaudhry said that the working class which had a great hope for its problems to be solved by the present government was utterly disappointed by its attitude towards the workers.

Mr Chaudhry and other speakers said that the price-hike had made the common man’s life quite difficult and referred in this connection to suicide incidents being reported from various parts of the country. It was the moral duty of the government to look after the welfare of the people, they added.

Federation leaders were bitter against the apathetic attitude of not only the government but also the country’s political parties for side-tracking the issues pertaining to the working class.

The federation decided to continue raising a collective voice for redressal of workers’ problems and seeking an effective check on prices of essential commodities.

It was announced on the occasion that the federation would sponsor a protest meeting to be held in Hamdard Factory in the Kot Lakhpat area of the provincial metropolis on Wednesday against the mounting inflation.

A decision about the programme for observing a black day would be taken at a meeting of the Lahore divisional chapter of the APTUF to be held here soon, it was announced.