HYDERABAD, June 20: A large number of former employees of the Zeal Pak Cement Factory staged a protest demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday against the nonpayment of the golden handshake amount to retrenched workers.

The barefooted protesters, including women and children, were carrying placards and banners, inscribed with slogans of “reinstate the workers in service, abolish contract system and arrest the factory owner for misappropriating workers’ fund”.

They warned that if their demands were not accepted by June 30 and the factory owner was not arrested, the workers would stage a series of protest demonstrations.

Speaking at the rally, the former general secretary of the Zeal Pak Employees Union (CBA), Syed Mushtaq Qadri, said the workers and their families had come out on roads for their legal rights.

He demanded of the labour department to restore the employees union and reinstate 587 workers.

Mr Qadri alleged that the factory owner, Sikandar Jatoi, had withdrawn Rs180 million of the workers provident fund and misappropriated the same.

He warned that if the National Accountability Bureau did not take any action against the factory owner, the workers would launch a protest movement from July 1.

The movement will continue till the restoration of workers union (CBA), abolition of contract system, arrest of the corrupt factory officials and the reinstatement the workers.

Speaking on the occasion, Gul Akbar, Zakarya Bhatti and Hafeez demanded that the golden handshake amount should be paid to the workers according to the written agreement and they should also be paid two years salaries.