HYDERABAD, June 23: The management of the Zeal Pak Cement Factory has termed the allegations of the former general secretary of the employees union (CBA), Mushtaq Qadri, total travesty of facts and sheer exploitation of innocent workers.

Speaking at a news conference at the press club on Sunday, the deputy managing director of the factory, Mushtaq Bukhari, and its director, accounts, Nawab Ahmed Khanzada distributed about a hundred documents among the newsmen to substantiate their allegations against the former general secretary who “had become a multi-millionaire at the cost of the factory and the workers”.

Responding to the protest demonstration of the former employees, led by Mushtaq Qadri, who had accused the factory management of withholding the dues of the workers, they said that the facts were totally different.

They pointed out that as the general secretary of the CBA, Mushtaq Qadri had himself obtained the resignations from 587 employees on the basis of golden handshake.

They said that in the next elections of the union, the workers had thrown out Mr Qadri as their leader.

They negated the allegation that workers’ provident fund of Rs180 million had been misappropriated, and added that this fund was a trust and the factory owner, Sikandar Jatoi, had nothing to do with it.

They claimed that the entire provident fund had already been paid to the workers.

About the golden handshake amount, they said that the CBA, which was responsible for payment of this amount under the agreement, had cleared the total dues of 400 workers, and for the remaining dues, the CBA was in the process of selling the land.

They said that for 18 months Mr Mushtaq had been lying low but as the general elections were round the corner, he was trying to show his street power to his party (Mr Qadri is the provincial secretary of the Pakistan Awami Tehrik) by exploiting the former employees.

Giving the background, they said that due to the unreasonable demands of the union in 1996, the factory remained closed for 14 months due to strike but under an agreement the factory resumed production in February 1998.

He said 250 employees were relieved under the golden handshake scheme but during this period the factory had suffered a loss of Rs400 million.

They said that the union pressurized the management to relieve all the remaining workers under the golden handshake scheme.

The factory officials maintained that as the factory had no liquidity, therefore, under a written agreement, 59.21 acres of factory land was given to the workers as quid pro quo for the golden handshake amount and other dues.

They said that the factory also paid Rs10 million on the spot to the CBA as per agreement to facilitate the payment of gratuity.

They said that the land given to the CBA comprised one hundred bungalows, five hundred quarters, market, mosque, sports ground, hospital, sewerage system, electricity, gas, and water facilities.

They said that the sale certificate obtained from the revenue department was also handed over to Mr Qadri.

They said that instead of disposing of the bungalows and other properties which could have fetched a huge amount, the general secretary demolished the property as he was appointed attorney by the factory management.

They urged the administration to stop Mr Qadri from disturbing the industrial peace.