HYDERABAD, June 15: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Workers Federation has criticized the management of the Army Welfare Sugar Mills, Badin, for not accepting demands of the union. In a statement issued here on Wednesday, federation secretary-general Bashir Ahmad alleged that the mill management, following submission of a charter of demands, had put pressure on workers to resign and had refused to discuss the demands.

He demanded that the Army Welfare Trust should hold a dialogue with the union to discuss the charter of demands and reinstate workers, who had been forced to resign, in service.

Mr Ahmad regretted that sugar mills had terminated services of permanent employees and introduced the contract system. He said workers had been deprived of their legal facilities. He claimed that the superior judiciary had declared the contract system illegal.

He called upon authorities concerned to direct sugar mills to implement the court decision and prosecute mill owners who had fail to implement the decision.