September 15, 2008	Monday	Ramazan 14, 1429

HYDERABAD, Sept 14: The All Sindh Universities Employees Federation has said that employees of the SAU Tandojam are on strike for 72 days but their grievances have not been addressed.

Chairman of the federation Raza Mohammad Durrani, Mohammad Bux Rajpar, Karam Ali Punhoon and Ghulam Nabi Bhalai of different universities of Sindh were addressing a news conference at the press club here on Sunday.

They held SAU vice-chancellor Dr Bashir Shaikh responsible for the row and criticised what they called excesses of the administration of the Sindh Agriculture University against their employees. They said five false cases were registered against the employees; their camp was ransacked and their houses were raided by police to pressurise them to call off their peaceful protest.

They said salaries of the employees of last three months had also been withheld.

It was an irony that even during Ramazan, families of the employees were starving, the federation leaders said.

They warned that if cases against the university employees were not withdrawn and they were not paid salaries, the employees of all universities of Sindh would observe a strike on Sept 17; and if no action was taken then they would hold hunger strike unto death at the shrine of Ms Benazir Bhutto.

They said 7,000 employees of different universities of Sindh would also stage a sit-in outside the Sindh Governor House if the demands were not met.