HYDERABAD, July 20: Sacked employees of the Sui Southern Gas Company have threatened that two of the retrenched officers will commit self-immolation on Aug 14 outside the Parliament House if their services are not restored as per direction of the Supreme Court.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Sunday, Ghulam Shabbir Jagirani and other dismissed employees said they were appointed by the SSGC between 1994 and 1996 after completing formalities and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the company.

They said after they completed the probationary period and five years of service, the company began retrenching the employees in violation of its rules.

They said the employees challenged termination of their services in the Federal Services Tribunal in Islamabad and Karachi. They said the tribunal announced its decision in 2002, declaring termination of their services illegal and directing the company to reinstate the dismissed employees in service.

The retrenched employees said the company challenged the decision of the tribunal in the Supreme Court which also upheld the decision on May 2, 2003, and directed the company to confirm the employees in service and restore their seniority and other facilities and benefits.

They, however, said when they visited the head office of the SSGC in Karachi with their joining reports, the company management refused to accept the reports on the plea that the company would file a review petition against the decision of the Supreme Court.

They criticized the SSGC management for defying the court order, saying the company had committed contempt of the court.

They said they would observe a hunger strike outside the Karachi Press Club on July 22 and two officers would commit self-immolation outside the Parliament House on Aug 14 if the decision of the court was not implemented.

Answering a question, they said 325 officers and 352 other employees, belonging to Sindh and Balochistan, were dismissed by the company.

The sacked workers also held a protest demonstration and observed a hunger strike outside the press club.