KARACHI, June 12: Speakers at a conference titled `National Labour Conference’ on Tuesday rejected the federal budget and said there was no relief in it for the 80 per cent population comprising labourers and poverty-stricken people.

Held under the aegis of the National Labour Federation of Pakistan’s Sindh chapter at Idara Noor-i-Haq, the conference was addressed by JI Naib Amir Prof Ghafoor Ahmed, NLF President Rana Mehmood Ali Khan, Karachi JI chief Dr Meraj-ul- Huda Siddiquia and NLP Karachi President Rafiq Ahmed.

They said the rulers were serving the interests of the only 20 per cent population consisting of feudals, capitalists and the privileged class while the 80 per cent downtrodden people were once again ignored in the budget.

They said the increase of Rs600 in monthly salaries was insufficient as the prices of daily use items were rising.

Most of the industrial units, they said, were closed and as a result thousands of people were jobless, and the government had no solid plan to create jobs for them.

They said the government had imposed restrictions on labour unions and no one could raise voice against the injustices being meted out to them in the private sector. They asked for the restoration of labour unions.

They also opposed privatisation of the PTCL, KESC, National Refinery, PSO, etc and demanded cancellation of the privatisation deeds, restoration of labour unions, and reinstatement of all the sacked employees in Karachi Shipyard, PC Hotel, Kurram Ceramics, PIA and other institutions.

Various resolutions were unanimously adopted demanding a reduction in the prices of daily use items, action against corrupt officials in different departments, revival of the closed industrial units, and an end to the privatisation of the different institutions, abolition of the contract system, cancellation of the IRO Ordinance 2002, and Section 27-B of the Banking Companies Ordinance.

Through another resolution, the participants demanded an end to excessive load-shedding.

It was announced that if load-shedding was not stopped forthwith, the people would have no option but to stop payment of their monthly bills.