MOHAMMAD SALEEM
Published 2014-04-22 05:57:53
FAISALABAD: Powerloom owners of Ghulam Mohammadabad have alleged that ‘extortionists’ in the guise of labour leaders are hampering business activity that is already sluggish because of power outages and high cost of raw material.
Ghulam Mohammadabad is considered a hub of powerlooms with thousands of units set up there, employing a large number of workers.
The powerloom owners say that so-called labour leaders demand money and other undue benefits for allowing smooth functioning of their units.
Sources say that panicked by the situation a delegation of loom owners had also met the police officials and informed them about the issue.
The owners say that on one hand, power outages and exorbitant prices of raw material had been adding to their woes while on the other these so-called labour leaders had been making it difficult for them to run their business in a smooth way.
They say the police have been informed that demands of ‘extortion’ by these leaders were increasing with every passing day.
A loom owner, Zulfiqar, alleges a ‘goon’ Nadeem who claims to be a labour leader has been demanding an air-conditioner and Rs10,000 monthly for allowing his unit to run smoothly. Earlier, he claimed, Nadeem had taken away cash and curtain cloth from his factory ‘by force’.
He appealed to the senior superintendent of police (SSP) concerned to order registration of an extortion case against the suspect.
Amanullah, another powerloom owner, also complained of threats by Nadeem.
Talking to Dawn, he said Nadeem had hurled threats at him on the premises of an SSP’s office where he had gone to register a complaint against the suspect. He said the SSP had also been informed that Nadeem was a desperate man who could inflict serious harm to any factory owner.
He said the powerloom owners had knocked at every door from ministers to the district administration and police, to seek their help to control these unbridled ‘labour leaders’. However, the people at the helm of affairs were not ready to move against these elements, who were even hated by the workers, he added.
Council of Loom Owners Association Chairman Waheed Khaliq said Faisalabad might face a Karachi-like situation if the government failed to control such unscrupulous elements pressing millers for extortion.
“Turning a blind eye to the issue of extortion will give a free hand to criminals and no one will be able to check them,” he said.
He said the government should promote ‘true trade unionists’ and “we believe in genuine unions that were crucial to industrial peace”.
Faisalabad is a sensitive city and it should be handled intelligently, he said, adding that any delay by the government in checking such elements would lead to a dangerous situation that would ultimately affect investment.
Similarly, those running brick kilns also allege that some leaders of the Labour Qaumi Movement (LQM), a union that had also been working for rights of power loom workers had been pressing them for extortion.
These leaders were also blackmailing the district administration and police who were not taking action against them.
LQM central leader Aslam Miraj denied the allegations and said the body had only been striving for workers rights and had nothing to with extortionists.
He said on April 23, a protest would also be staged in Lahore for kiln workers’ rights that were being denied owing to lethargy of the government departments.
A police officer said the issue of extortion was being monitored closely and culprits would surely be brought to book.
