KARACHI, Dec 22: The workers of a closed chemical plant of Sindh are said to be waiting for a favourable response from Privatisation Commision.
The commission responsible for denationalisation of public sector units claims to be handling the process in a fashion that workers' interests of all such units are protected and they are duly compensated for dislocation.
"We expect some good news soon", Mr Zia of Sindh Alkalis Employment Management Group hoped. Recently through a letter the organization has appealed to the Prime Minister to intervene on compassionate grounds to settle the issue in favour of workers.
They have asked the prime minister to direct the Privatization Commission to distribute the golden handshake amount among the employees as soon as possible. In this letter to prime minister, sent through MNA Dr Farooq Sattar, the group said a tender was issued on November 25, 2004 under the supervision of court for the sale of the company in which a bid of Rs200 million was received.
The bid, however, was too low and was less than one third of the unit's reserve price. If sold at this price the workers stand no chance of getting anything as the amount would be insufficient to clear bank dues.
Employees of Sindh Alkalis paid Rs103 million to the Privatisation Commission for purchasing the company in order to protect their interest. Within eight years, they cleared 99 per cent payment of the price including interest despite losses and hardships.
In the letter the details of the workers plight were also given. It says that over the last four years many wokers have died while over 50 employees, who cannot afford medical expenses, have been struggling to survive out of total 600 employees who are in deep financial crisis these days after losing their jobs following the closure of the Sindh Alkalis Limited in 2000.
Over 600 persons have become unemployed after opting golden handshake scheme but they are yet to get the amount. Sindh Alkalies was the biggest chemical plant of Sindh, producing soda ash by using locally available material. Rising utility charges and cut in import duty had plunged the company in financial crisis, thus resulting in closure of the company.
In 1992, employees took over the management control by giving the highest bid on the sale of the plant but it did not work. However, their efforts to save the company had resulted in deprivation of their pension and other retirement benefits.
