FAISALABAD: A number of powerloom workers staged a protest demonstration on Tuesday against the government and the factory owners for not enhancing their wages and issuing health and social security cards.

Labourers of different sectors of Faisalabad took out rallies and after passing through different thoroughfares reached the Zila Council.

The protesters chanted slogans against the government and the powerloom owners.

Labour Qaumi Movement, a union representing powerloom and brick kiln workers, had announced the protest call.

Talking to reporters, workers said their wages were not being increased in line with inflation and it had become impossible for them to make both ends meet. They said workers had time and again taken to the streets for their rights and called off protest demonstrations and sit-ins following the government’s assurance that issues would be resolved, but all in vain.

One of the protesters said: “Instead of earning livelihood for our children, we have been protesting on roads only to draw attention of the people at the helm of affairs. The rulers seem least interested in resolving workers’ issues rather they have been accommodating factory owners.”

After registering their protest, the workers dispersed peacefully.

Quacks: Every fifth person in Faisalabad is suffering from hepatitis and quacks are main source of the spreading of this disease with impunity.

This was disclosed by the Pakistan Medical Association Punjab Vice President Dr Mohammad Irfan, while talking to the media on Tuesday after an awareness walk organised in connection with the World Hepatitis Day.

The walk was organised by doctors of the Allied Hospital and acting vice-chancellor of the Faisalabad Medical University, Dr Fareed Zafar, secretary general of the Medical Teachers Association, Khurram Sohail and Dr Mohammad Irfan led it.

The participants started from the admin block of the varsity and after taking a round of the hospital reached the forensic medicine department.

Addressing the participants, Dr Zafar said Allied and the DHQ hospitals had provided free hepatitis medicine to more than 3,000 patients during the last two months.

He said following Punjab government direction we had started working at the liver centre setup in the DHQ hospital. They said both the facilities had an ample stock of hepatitis medicine.

The hepatitis patients should immediately contact the hospital for their treatment without any delay, he added. Dr Irfan said the barbers were also another source of spreading the ailment by using single pair of scissors and blades for numerous people.

He said people must keep in mind that food items and water were not sources of hepatitis B and C spread in the district.

Published in Dawn, July 26th, 2017