20000225

Aptuo condemns retrenchment of workers in public sector

RECORDER REPORT

HYDERABAD: All Pakistan Trade Unions Organisation (Aptuo) has condemned the retrenchment of thousands of workers from different public sector organisations and government departments on the pretext of downsizing.

In a joint statement issued here on Thursday, the central chairman of the organisation, Bashir Ahmed, deputy secretary general Mehboob Ali Qureshi and other office-bearers said that 50 employees had been retrenched from Social Security Hospital, Larkana, and Dadu Sugar Mills and Shahdadkot Textile Mills had been closed which had rendered thousands of workers jobless.

The Aptuo leaders feared that retrenchment on such a massive scale will increase crimes.

They demanded that the policy of downsizing and privatisation should be shelved, the closed mills should be reopened and the retrenched workers should be reinstated.

They further demanded that the minimum wages should be fixed equivalent to the price of one tola of gold and the wages of workers should be immediately raised by Rs 1,000 per month.