NOWSHERA, Jan 19: The National Labour Federation (NLF) has asked the government to withdraw the laws that benefit the employer but deprive employees of their rights. Speaking at a news conference here at the Nowshera Press Club on Thursday, NLF chief Merajuddin appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz to discuss the labour issues with trade union organizations and take them into confidence before amending IRO-2002.

He warned that any move aimed at curtailing rights of workers would be resisted and the Trade Union Action Committee Pakistan would call for a countrywide strike against any arbitrary action by the government.

He said the industrial and transport workers had already been facing a threat to their jobs since the promulgation of the Removal from Service Ordinance, 2000.

He said various laws had made a situation in which lawful trade union activities had become complicated.