23 May 2004	Sunday	03 Rabi-us-Saani 1425

LAHORE, May 22: The All-Pakistan PWD Workers Union will take out a procession here on May 29 to press for an increase in pay and acceptance of other demands.

The decision was taken at a hurriedly called meeting of the union executive committee presided over by Haji Aslam Firdausi here on Saturday.

It was also decided to convene a meeting of the office-bearers of unions of buildings and highways workers at the Bakhtiar Hall before taking out the procession which would march to the Lahore Press Club.

Speaking on the occasion, secretary-general Amin Rathore, vice-presidents Tahir Butt and Hamid Butt and deputy secretary-general Muhammad Ismail regretted that the government was not increasing workers wages despite substantial increase in the cost of living.

They said the workers had been constrained to resort to protest to draw the attention of the government towards their miserable plight.

The meeting adopted resolutions demanding grant of interim relief equal to 40 per cent of basic pay, regularization of work-charged employees, payment of house rent on the running basic pay and medical and residential facilities to the employees and educational facilities to their children.