NLF meeting: Hafiz Naeem urges govt to ensure payment of workers' salaries

Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi, Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman has urged the Sindh government to assure security of jobs and timely payment of factory workers' salaries in this difficult period.

Addressing a meeting of workers unions held under National Labour Federation (NLF) at Idara Noor-e-Haq, he also demanded government to convene a tripartite meeting and discuss on punitive action to be taken against retrenchment of workforce and contract system in factories.

He reminded Chief Minister of his pledge not to discharge workers and assuring timely salaries to them before going to lockdown. "We are fully aware of problems of factory owners in this hard time but they are not permit to layoff workers," he said and added that workers can also be paid salaries from Workers Welfare Board's funds.

He also warned Labour Department to desist anti-workers tactics and asked the NLF to compile a data of workers who were either dismissed or released from their services as JI would talk to officials of concerned department.

Ameer JI Karachi said that Senator Sirajul Haq has already expressed solidarity with labours while showing his concern over joblessness under prevailing situation.

"Nobody is pondering about plight of unorganised, non-documented and daily wage workers while power loom, garment and textile industry workers are without salaries due to closure of trade and industry," he maintained.

He also demanded factory owners to provide relief to their workers under privilege of Ahsaas Programme.

During the NLF meeting Naib Ameer JI Dr Osama Razi urged the government to consider workers issues on highly priority basis, if lockdown remains for long.

President NLF Karachi Khalid Khan suggested payment to workers from Sindh Employees Social Security Institution and Employees Old Age Benefit Institution. He also offered his services to devise a mechanism resolving workers issues.

General Secretary NLF Qasim Jamal was of the view that government policies have dragged workers into hot water and if they were not paid and returned on their jobs, NLF would launch a drive against administration.

Information Secretary, Zahid Askari, NLF Joint Secretary, Ameer Rawan, trade unionists, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Fayyaz, Muhammad Naveed, Furqan Ansari, Mazhar Ali, Irshad Ali, Azizullah Swati, Shahid Mushi, Gul Zameen Khan, Khawaja Mubashir and Azizur Rehman were also present on the occasion.