PESHAWAR, June 17: The National Labour Federation of Pakistan, NWFP  chapter, on Tuesday accused the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government of ignoring the industrial workers in the provincial budget.

In a statement, the federation rejected the budget and vowed to hold demonstrations in front of the provincial assembly to register its protest.

The statement said the government did not announce incentives for the industrial workers in the budget.

The MMA government, the federation said, had made tall claims for the provision of socioeconomic justice to the people, but the finance minister did not bother to highlight the workers’ problems in his budget speech.

It said the reduction in the salaries of the chief minister and the cabinet members would not bring any change in the workers’ life.

The federation said the provincial government should announce a package for the dwellers of the slums. The federation’s executive council would soon meet here to decide a line of action, it said.

The Pakistan Workers’ Confederation and the Muttahida Labour Federation termed the provincial budget a juggling of words and said the government had neglected the lower class.

In a statement, the federation’s president, Gul Rehman, said the  MMA government had followed the federal government’s example and ignored the workers in the budget.

He said the government should increase the salaries of government employees by 30 per cent.

He said the government should reduce non-development expenditures and adopt drastic measures to address basic problems of the poor.

He said a package for low grade government employees and industrial workers should be announced.