TOBA TEK SINGH: After the failure of talks over the implementation of the wage notification, scores of brick kiln workers set up a hunger strike camp outside the office of the district officer labour on Monday.

On Saturday night, kiln workers had ended their sit-in when they were assured by the government officials that on Monday a joint meeting of the workers and owners would be arranged in the office of the district labour officer.

On Monday, the district labour officer held a meeting with the owners and later told the workers that they were not ready to pay Rs800 per 1,000 bricks.

The response provoked kiln workers to stage a hunger strike outside the office of the labour officer.

Labour Qaumi Movement’s Muhammad Shabbir said though the Punjab government had notified that kiln owners would pay Rs962 per 1,000 bricks to labourers, the kiln workers and owners had reached an agreement under which the kiln owners had to pay Rs800 but the owners were refusing to even pay those wages.

He said hunger strike would continue till the acceptance of the demand. By 8pm, another round of talks was in progress between leaders of workers and the district labour officer.

EXECUTION: District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Yar Wallana issued black warrant for Qamaruz Zaman Jat, of Chak 313-JB.

He will be hanged on Oct 21 in the district jail.

He had shot dead Muhammad Iqbal of his village 14 years ago.

PROTEST: Scores of relatives of a murdered woman put her body on Faisalabad-Multan Road at Arrouti Adda near Pirmahal on Monday and blocked traffic when police refused to register a murder case.

They told reporters that Parveen Bibi’s husband Zafar Sial allegedly strangled her in his house in Chak 769-GB for honour.

Police refused to issue a letter for autopsy and a medico-legal certificate.

The road blockade worked as police officials from Pirmahal arrived at the protest scene to tell them that a case had been registered.

FOUND DEAD: A man was found hanged in his house on Monday.

The Gojra Saddar police said Basharat Masih was alone in his house in Chak 424-JB. His wife had just left the house when he beat her. She had gone to the house of her relative in the village. Later on, he was found hanged in the house.

Also, a labourer was electrocuted in Pirmahal on Monday.

Police said Bilal Ahmad, of Chak 673/14-GB, was at work in an under-construction house in Green City at Pirmahal when his hand touched a live electricity wire.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2015

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