BAHAWALPUR, July 12: Over 20,000 regular and permanent employees of the Punjab Irrigation Department’s Salinity Control and Reclamation Programme (Scarp), tubewell division, might face retrenchment.

This was apprehended by Pasban union (Irrigation department) Punjab Chapter chairman Bashir Zafar and National Labour Federation (NLF) central president Abdul Wahab Niazi at a joint press conference held at Jamaat-i-Islami district office here on Saturday.

They claimed the lists of such employees, including tubewell operators, drivers, electricians and mechanics, posted at various district headquarters in Punjab had been prepared for their dismissal, though the employees were not served dismissal notices yet.

They said their apprehension was based on the fact that there was no budgetary allocation for the salaries of the employees for the month of July to be paid to them on Aug 1.

They alleged their forced retirement would be part of the establishment of the Punjab Irrigation Development Authority (PIDA) under an American plan to disband the infrastructure of the century-old irrigation system in Punjab.

They said they had apprised senior minister Raja Riaz of the situation, but he could not allay their ‘well-founded’ fears.

They also demanded reinstatement of union’s nine office-bearers of Nandipur irrigation section in Gujranwala district.

These office-bearers were forcibly retired for unearthing a huge scam in which some officers of Gujranwala were involved, they claimed.

The NLF president also criticised Punjab Labour Minister Ashraf Sohna, alleging he was reorganising PPP’s labour bureau with government funds.

He said the PPP was supporting ‘dummy and pocket’ labour unions, demanding real leadership of workers be taken into confidence to help formulate practicable labour policies.

He also demanded workers’ problems with regard to the EOBI and social security should be resolved at the earliest.

He announced the federation would stage country-wide protest against price hike on July 17.

He demanded the federal government should issue the notification of the formation of labour unions in industrial concerns and the fixation of workers’ minimum salary at Rs6,000 as had been announced by the prime minister.

He also demanded abolishing of contract system and solution of railway workers’ problems.