LAHORE, April 19: The Punjab Labour Department has convened a meeting of brick kiln owners and workers here on Thursday (today) for negotiations on the ongoing strike.

The meeting was convened in view of unrest at brick kilns after an indefinite strike call from Tuesday by the Pakistan Bhatta Mazdoor Union for the acceptance of demands of abolition of advances, registration of kilns under labour laws and raising the brick-making charges to Rs500 per 1,000 bricks.

Union secretary-general Mahmud Butt said that kiln workers would insist on abolition of the advance system because this had been declared unlawful by the Supreme Court and other demands during negotiations. Workers would insist on prosecution of kiln owners insisting on continuation of the advance system.

He said that brick kiln workers had continued their strike on Wednesday for the second day running despite the alleged acts of violence and intimidation by police and kiln owners.

The union, he said, had received information that kiln owners had thrashed workers in Wah Cantonment and police had refused to register a case against them.

He said union leader Muhammad Boota had been kidnapped in Nankana while another leader Manzoor Masih had been beaten up and kept in detention in police station till midnight.