HYDERABAD, Oct 16: Over one dozen employees of a Coca Cola factory continued their token hunger strike on the third consecutive day on Tuesday here outside the Hyderabad Press Club to protest against the dismissals of 24 employees.

Talking to newsmen, workers union’s president Shakoor and general secretary Mohammad Nawaz, whose services have also been terminated, said that their only fault was that they had formed a union and had got it registered.

They said the gates of the factory had been closed for 24 workers of the union, including five women workers, and added that a worker, Yasmin, whose service has also been terminated, was an elected councillor.

They union leaders said that as the CBA union had become the pocket union of the management, they had been forced to form another union to protect the rights of the workers.

They alleged that the factory management had failed to increase salaries even after 20 months in accordance with the announcement of federal and provincial governments, and that the management was violating other labour laws.

Answering a question, they said they had got their union registered on Aug 22, and added that their total membership was 88 out of 200 workers. The hunger strikers demanded that the 24 sacked workers be reinstated.

THREE KIDNAPPED: The whereabouts of three people including a landlord who were kidnapped on Saturday night remained unknown till Monday, confirmed police.