HYDERABAD: The National Labour Federation (NLF) has threatened to move an application in the Supreme Court if corrupt officials from the provincial labour department are not removed.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club here on Wednesday, NLF president Rana Mehmood Ali Khan warned that if the Sindh chief secretary and the labour secretary did not fulfil that demand, Sindh social security, workers welfare board and the NLF would knock at the door of the apex court as secretaries had violated decisions of the court by appointing corrupt persons.

National Labour Federation (Hyderabad zone) president Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh and other office-bearers were also present.

Mr Khan termed the labour department a den of corruption. He said the Sindh government had failed to appoint Sindh labour minister so far. Instead of it, Asghar Junejo was appointed as Sindh labour adviser who had been working for two years.

He alleged that the adviser made the Sindh labour department, Sindh social security and workers welfare board the most corrupt organisations. He further said he (adviser) illegally authorised a private person, Anwar Faiz, to take decisions politically in the three departments.

This right-hand man of the adviser transferred doctors of social security to the important posts of the labour department, including those of joint director, deputy director, assistant director through rampant corruption, he alleged.

Those doctors took salaries from the social security, but worked in the labour department.

He said that a team of doctors was allegedly collecting extortion from factories. He claimed that the workers welfare board and other government department officials were transferred to the labour department in the same way to commit corruption at the behest of Anwar Faiz.

He said that some officials were working in the labour department and social security simultaneously and enjoying facilities.

He showed names and designations of these officials as Mohammad Shah, a grade-14 official of the Malir Development Authority, who was transferred to the office of Hyderabad labour additional director as assistant director labour of Jamshoro in grade-17 without any order and notification on the directives of the Sindh labour adviser.

A labour department officer of grade-19, Sarfaraz Awan, was appointed as director health and safety, and director of social security, he said.

Labour assistant director (grade-17) Raja Altaf was transferred and kept on deputation in grade-18 as social security director, Mr Khan said, adding that these posts were technical, but merit was rejected and orders of the adviser were obeyed.

Presenting a list of another 17 officials in the department, he said the Sindh chief secretary approved transfers and postings of these officials on political pressure and violated orders of the apex court of the country.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2016