HYDERABAD, Nov 8: The Sindh chapter of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Workers Federation has expressed concern over an inordinate delay in the issuing of notification about minimum wages of workers at Rs4,000 per month.

A meeting of the Sindh committee of the federation held here on Wednesday discussed the situation arising out of the delay.

Ashraf Rajput presided over the meeting.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Rajput said that there was unrest among the workers due to delay in issuing the notification.

He said that sugar mill owners had terminated the service of permanent employees and introduced contract system. As a result, workers have been deprived of benefits and facilities permissible under the labour laws.

He said that the superior judiciary had ruled against the contract system, but the mill owners were not abiding by the decision.

The meeting demanded that the notification about minimum wages should be issued without delay and the labour department should implement the decision with effect from July this year as the announcement about the raise in minimum wages was made in June.

It demanded that the contract system should be abolished and decisions of the superior judiciary should be enforced in letter and spirit.

It said that instead of drawing lots under the Hajj policy for workers, a specific workers quota for Hajj should be fixed and minimum salary should be raised equivalent to the price of one tola gold.

It demanded decrease in the prices of POL.