HYDERABAD, Sept 5: The president of the Sindh chapter of the National Labour Federation, Rana Mehmood Ali Khan, has described as incorrect a claim of the Sindh labour minister that workers are being paid minimum wages of Rs4,000 per month from July 1, in accordance with a decision of the federal government.

Speaking at a workers’ convention held here on Tuesday, he said that the Sindh labour department had even failed to implement payment of minimum wages of Rs3,000 per month as announced by the federal government on January 1, 2005.

He said that the implementation of minimum wages act was the responsibility of the Sindh labour department in which it had failed.

He condemned the latest increase in prices of pulses, wheat flour, ghee and edible oil.

Hanif Khanzada, Shakeel Shaikh and Siraj Gaddi also spoke on the occasion.

The convention demanded that amendments to the Industrial Relations Ordinance and the ban on the Karachi Shipyard Trade Union should be withdrawn.

The convention adopted several resolutions strongly opposing privatisation of the Jamshoro thermal power station.

It demanded that social security cards should be issued to workers for medical treatment.

Another resolution demanded that alleged corruption in the Hyderabad office of the old-age benefit should be eliminated and employees of the HDA should be paid salary of two months.