28 August 2004	Saturday	11 Rajab 1425

KARACHI, Aug 27: The Sindh PML's labour wing has demanded that the recommendations of the Pay and Pension Committee be made public and wages of be increased in accordance with the price hike.

It has also demanded that minimum wages be fixed keeping in view the prices of essential commodities.

The demands were made by Muhammad Arif Hasan, president of the labour wing while speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Friday. Calling upon all trade union leaders to extend their active cooperation to the wing, he pledged that efforts would be made to transform the IRO-2002 into a workers-friendly ordinance.

Mr Hasan appealed to the relevant authorities that all those retrenched from different institutions under various schemes like downsizing, rightsizing, etc., be reinstated immediately and all workers be paid their monthly wages by the 5th of every month.

The PML leader called for the withdrawal of the order under which 16 Shipyard workers had been suspended. Withheld salaries of the affected employees disbursed to them, he added.

Earlier, Mr Hasan briefed newsmen about his plan to reorganize the labour wing and said he had been given two months to accomplish the task. He vowed to mobilize trade unions in Sindh in an effort to get the powers of CBAs in Shipyard, KMC, KDA and other institutions restored.

He also pledged joint efforts for the revival of trade union activities in KESC, Steel Mill, PIA and other organizations.