Managers of fertilizer unit injured in attack; 10 workers arrested

HARIPUR: Two senior managers of a private fertilizer unit suffered bruises when some of the workers attacked them over a dispute of payment of salaries, stated the police and factory management here on Wednesday.

Officials of the Kotnajibullah Police Station said that the dispute over the payment of salaries to the workers of Agritech Industry Private Ltd, Kangra Colony, led to a scuffle between the management and union leaders on Wednesday afternoon. Some of the workers allegedly beat up the MD Mian Ehsan and Admin Manager Javed Iqbal. The police quoted Javed Iqbal as saying that the charged workers shaved off his moustache.

He said the management had dismissed some of the workers including the union president Jawad Rasool over disciplinary grounds and they have been in litigation against the management for the last few months.

But despite litigation, they were demanding payment of salaries and attacked the senior management. While the union leaders Jawad Rasool and Abdul Qadeer denied the charges and said that they visited the office of the MD with the request of resolution of the workers’ problems but the management attacked them with the support of their supporters.

When contacted, Deputy Director Labour Hazara Faizullah Khan supported the standpoint of Hazara Labour Federation and the workers of Agritech and said that his office has thrice imposed fine on the management of Agritech for managing its manpower through a labour contractor, which is in violation of labour laws.

He said that he would visit the factory for fact-finding on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the police arrested 10 workers: Jawad Rasool, Abdul Qadeer, Ghulam Nabi, Daraz Khan, Salim Tahir, Rashid Khan, Gul Faraz, Zahid Hasan, Nadim Haider and Sajid Pervez.

Hazara Labour Federation President Qamar Hayat, general secretary Tahir Amin accused the Agritech management of exploiting the workers by not allowing their registered union to function and violating the labour laws.

They said there was no provision of labour contractor in the labour laws but the factory management was hiring and paying their workers through the contractor.

The labourers’ representatives warned of a protest if the management and its supporters were not arrested and the held workers not released.