LAHORE: The Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) and All-Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA) on Thursday announced their support to the strike call given by the All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) for Aug 7 against Rs200 billion additional surcharges in electricity bills and non-viability of textile industry.

In a statement, PTEA chairman Sohail Pasha said: “The PTEA supports the call, but we have not taken a decision to close down units on Aug 7. The association members will meet shortly and formally announce their final decision.”

At an emergency meeting of Lahore and Gujranwala regions of APTPMA at Shadman office, vice chairman Khawaja Shahzad Nasir announced his support for Aug 5 strike given by All-Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran against 0.3 withholding tax on banking transactions and Aug 7 strike call given by Aptma against surcharges in electricity and gas bills.

Aptma chairman S.M. Tanveer said as many as 10 million textile workers would be on roads to protest and record their worries over the viability issue of textile industry on Aug 7.

He said leading associations of the textile industry, including the PTEA, the All-Pakistan Power-Looms Association and the All-Pakistan Sizing Industry Association have extended their support to the Aptma strike call.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2015

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