Powerloom workers call off strike in Faisalabad

FAISALABAD: The powerloom owners of Sadhar Sector on Friday announced reopening their factories while labourers also called off their week-long sit-in and announced rejoining the factories from today.
The decision was taken after negotiations of DCO Noorul Amin Mengal and CPO Afzal Ahmad Kausar with local powerloom owners and labour leaders here. Additional District Collector Kanwar Ejaz Khaliq, SP Malik Awais, DO Labour Imtiaz Saifi, powerlooms owners representatives Waheed Khaliq, Nazir Ahmad, Mian Adil, Sarwar Ali, Safir Ahmad, Mian Muhammad Akram and labour leaders Aslam Meraj, Rana Tahir, Abdul Latif Ansari, Fazal Elahi and Malik Mumtaz Ahmad also attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, DCO Noorul Amin asked both owners and labourers of the powerloom factories to maintain industrial peace and harmony and assured that the district administration would protect the rights of them and solve all disputed matters including fixation of wages.
CPO Afzal Ahmad Kausar urged the powerloom owners and their labourers to continue working and said that it was the duty of police to provide protection to all sections but would not spare those trying to sabotage the industrial activities.
The factory owners and labourers assured that they would collectively work to increase the industrial production. The meeting also announced that the wages of labourers would be decided in a joint session of factory owners and labourers’ representatives with mutual consent.