June 23, 2008	Monday	Jamadi-us-Sani 18, 1429

KARACHI, June 22: Eleven people, who served the National Bank of Pakistan for years, have demanded of the higher authorities to ensure implementation of court orders by regularising their services under the bank’s policy.

Observing hunger strike till death at a camp set up since Thursday outside the Karachi Press Club, they said despite having served the bank for 11 to 21 years they had not been regularised.

On Sept 15, 2003, the protesters said, the bank announced a policy that the workers, who had completed three years of service, would be regularised. Under the policy the bank regularised over 1,500 workers and 1,300 others were employed on a contract basis.

However, they said, they were defrauded as some other people were recruited in their place.

The protesters said they moved labour court against the action.

The court gave a verdict in their favour, but the order was not followed by the bank which later moved an appeal in the Sindh High Court. Though the high court upheld the ruling, they had not been regularised, they added.

They said they met the president of NBP, Ali Raza, and apprised him of the situation.

He issued a directive in their favour, but the management defied the orders of labour court, high court and the bank’s chief.

Saying that they had been working without salaries since Sept 15, 2003, the protesters demanded that they be regularised.

The protesters are Ghulam Abbas, Rustam Ali, Abdul Jabbar, Rahmat Brohi from Nawabshah, Sulaiman Shah and Irfan Ahmad from Golarchi, Soomar Bhatti, Mehdi Mohammad and Manzoor Samoo from Matli, Mohammad Usman from Badin and Sajjad Hussain from Sanghar.