HARIPUR, March 1: Over 600 cases of violation of labour laws were filed with the labour judge of Haripur against entrepreneurs of the Hattar Industrial Estate during the last three months.

Sources in the office of the deputy director, labour, Hazara, told Dawn on Saturday that during routine checking of Hattar-based industrial units, the inspector, factories, Abdullah Khan, had found over 20 industrial units violating the Minimum Wages Act, Standing Order Ordinance and the Factories Act. The official detected that in more than 60 cases, workers were not even being paid the minimum fixed wages of Rs4,600. One of the industries, the sources said, had hired workers for Rs1,500 a month.

They said some industrialists were not keeping a proper record of issuance of appointment letters, health and security measures, leave account and registration of workers with the labour department.

From November 2007 to January 31, the inspector filed 324 cases under the Factories Act, 287 under the Standing Order Ordinance and 54 under the Minimum Wages Act.

As many as 180 cases of payment of wages and 10 of compensation to workers who were injured or to heirs of workers who died during duty hours are pending with the deputy director of the labour department, who also enjoys the powers of a judge under the Authority Payment of Wages Act, 1936.

The sources said 916 cases filed under the Minimum Wages Act, Standing Order Ordinance and Factories Act, were pending with the labour court by the end of January.

There are 135 operative units in the Hattar Industrial Estate, including 26 textile units, 13 chemical, six ghee/oil mills, 15 pharmaceutical industries, 14 packages units, 11 paper/wood/chip industries, 14 marble cement/concrete units, three ceramics units, 15 engineering units, nine steel mills and three plastic manufacturing units.

According to statistics collected from the labour department, 10,394 male and 1,500 female workers are registered and according to the record of the Employees Social Security department, 10,000 male and 500 female workers have been given social security cover. Independent sources believe there are 3,000 workers, including 600 women, who are not registered either with the social security or labour department.