KARACHI, April 6: The Habib Bank Workers Front has termed the new labour policy and the Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 anti-worker and has demanded their withdrawal.

The demand was made at the conclusion of a three-day conference organized by the Front.

Various other resolutions on the issues facing workers in general and those of the banking sector in particular were adopted.

The main resolution pointed out that the IRO 2002 and the new labour policy were in conflict with various conventions of the International Labour Organization, that had been signed by the country and was bound to follow agreements and said the IRO 1969 be restored in its original shape.

It claimed many rights of workers that they had been enjoying since the pre-partition British era had been taken away from them under the IRO 2002 and the new labour policy which, it said, were even in conflict with the Constitution.

Through another resolution, the Front demanded that promotions from non- clerical positions to clerical, and from clerical positions to officers cadre, and others be announced. It demanded that the percentage of annual appraisal be increased realistically and the Category “D,” which it claimed was used to exploit workers, be abolished.

In another resolution, the Front demanded that anti-worker laws like Article 27B of the Banking Companies Ordinance and section 2A of the Civil Servants Act of 1973 be abolished so that healthy trade union activities could be restored and strengthened in banks, financial institutions, corporations and other national organizations.

It claimed the reason for the decline of healthy trade union activities was that managements had been promoting pocket unions, which were used to exploit the rights of workers. The Front also demanded that children of employees be given priority in employment in their organizations.

Through another resolution, the national conference, presided over by the HBWF leader and the senior vice president of the All Pakistan Trade Unions Organization, Habibuddin Junaidi, demanded that referendum for the election of collective bargaining agents (CBAs) be held in the organizations where the CBAs had completed their tenures so that workers could elect their representatives who could defend their rights.