TOBA TEK SINGH: Scores of bricks kiln workers and their families took out a procession here on Friday demanding payment of minimum wage as announced by the government.

The procession started from Gojra Road and culminated at Shahbaz Chowk where Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Union central senior vice president Muhammad Shabbir, Perveen Malik of Gojra, Muhammad Nawab of Kamalia, Kiln Workers Association district president Baba Nazir and other labourer leaders addressed the gathering.

They claimed that four months had passed since the Punjab government had issued a notification regarding minimum wages under which kiln owners had to pay Rs1,110 per 1,000 bricks to workers, but it had not been implemented here in the district yet.

He added that Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had announced that Rs4,000 will be paid to each parent who worked at a kiln and sent their children to schools, while children will be provided with free bags, books, uniform, shoes and stationery, but in Toba district there was no progress following the announcement.

The protesters added that even after five years the cases filed by them in the court of district labour officer had not been decided.

They announced that their sit-in at Shahbaz Chowk will continue for three days after which they will march from Toba to Lahore.

SEALED: A team of Punjab Healthcare Commission raided 30 places on Friday, including clinical laboratories and quacks, and sealed 10 labs, three medical stores, two homeopathic clinics, a dental clinic and a clinic of a hakim.

A press release issued on Friday stated that a crackdown was under way all over Punjab and so far 6,000 set-ups of quacks had been raided and Rs40 million fined to owners.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2017