HYDERABAD, Sept 22: The Sindh chapter of the National Labour Federation has called upon federal and Sindh governments to resolve problems of workers and ensure implementation of labour laws in letter and spirit.

Speaking at a press conference at the press club here on Thursday, the provincial president of the federation, Rana Mehmood Ali, zonal president Hanif Khanzada and general secretary Sakeel Shaikh said the workers were being victimized by mill-owners and the government as well as the labour department had turned a blind eye towards problems of the working class which were increasing with each passing day.

A large number of office-bearers of different trade unions were also present on the occasion.

Rana Mehmood said being the provincial labour minister, responsibility to resolve workers’ problems rested with Mohammad Adil Siddiqui but ever since he took over the portfolio, he had not held a single meeting with workers to know their problems.

He said due to indifferent attitude of the labour minister, the Sindh labour secretary as well as the director labour had also adopted the same attitude.

He said the labour director had converted his office into a drawing room and corruption had become the order of the day in the department from top to bottom.

He urged the MQM leadership to immediately replace the labour minister who was sick and had also failed to perform his duties.

He said that under specific orders of the Sindh governor, the routine inspection of industrial organizations which was mandatory under the factory act, standing orders and other labour laws had been stopped.

The NLF leader said this has given a licence to mill-owners to exploit the workers.

He said 70 per cent of the workers were neither given appointment letters nor attendance, social security or pension cards. He accused the registrar of trade unions Hyderabad region, Ehsanul Haq Qureshi of working against interests of the trade unions.

He said the registrar was cancelling registrations at the instance of factory-owners and protecting pocket unions.

He said the social security commissioner who was transferred from the income tax department on some one’s recommendations had defamed the social security institution.