LAHORE, Dec 27 The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) has appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of non-application of labour laws on majority of the workers in the country.

NTUF Lahore president Abdul Rauf said in his appeal that labour laws were not applicable to the workers in agriculture sector. He said that such laws were not applicable to women workers either. Over 70 per cent factory owners did not allow formation of trade unions to deprive the workers of their rights under the law.

Suspension of labour inspections had also made enforcement of labour laws impossible as inspectors were not allowed to inspect the industrial establishments to check the application of labour laws.

He said the workers were not only being denied their rights under the law but even those approaching the labour courts had to wait for years for redress of their grievances because 11,000 cases were pending in nine courts. — Reporter