TOBA TEK SINGH, Aug 8: The Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) has informed more than 6,000 international trade union organisations about the excesses faced by textile workers specially powerloom workers in Toba and sought their help in this regard.

At a press conference here on Tuesday, LPP central secretary-general Farooq Tariqsaid Pakistan is the only country where textile workers were being paid the lowest wages. He said powerloom workers were forced to work for 12 hours instead of eight hours a day.

He claimed the powerloom workers at Gojra had been on strike for the last one month, but the police and the administration were backing factory owners instead of supporting the poor workers.

He said more than 100 workers were arrested, out of whom 35 were still in Jhang district jail. He alleged the Gojra SHO tortured 27 workers at the police station to please the factory owners.

A PPP leader, Saifullah Cheema, said only solution to end the workers’ strike was to announce a raise in their wages.

Awami Jamhoori Party leader Rana Azam said if demands of Gojra workers were not accepted, the workers of Toba would also be forced to go on strike.

LPP women’s wing in charge Begum Nazli Javed, Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor union central secretary-general Mahmood Butt, LPP’s Punjab secretary Afzal Saroya and district secretary Tariq Mahmood were also present on the occasion.

They condemned the Toba DCO for giving wrong information to the BBC Urdu service about the arrest of 80 workers by the Sadar police some three days ago.

They also demanded withdrawal of cases registered against trade union leaders, political activists and powerloom workers.

ELECTROCUTED: A labourer was electrocuted Ravi Town, Kamalia, on Tuesday.