31 July, 2015IndustriALL Global Union affiliate in Pakistan, the NTUF is raising the case of an illegal sacking of 24 textile workers by FKN Textile near capital Karachi. The workers were sacked so that management could replace them with new employees on lower pay.
FKN is an offshoot company of Rashid Textile, located at SITE, an industrial zone of Karachi. It produces towels and yarn for export to the EU and other countries. For the company to recruit new workers on low paid wages, management blocked the 24 sacked workers from entering the factory to begin their shift on 18 July, just before the festival of Eid.
The sacked workers then contacted NTUF to take up their issue with the concerned authority and fight against the repressive behaviour of the company.
One of the sacked workers Muhammad Nadeem reports that the working conditions inside the factory are extremely poor and the 900 workers are vulnerable. Many of the employees are forced to work up to 20 hours a day.
The FKN factory workers are mostly employed via illegal contractors and have no rights to form a union. They are paid no social protection benefits often do not receive their pay.
A complaint to the Labour authorities on behalf of the 24 sacked workers was submitted through NTUF’s lawyer on 27 July. The department then summoned the management and one representative of the management appeared without any record or reply. Again, the authorities have ordered the management to appear on 2 August with all records.
NTUF leaderhip states that they will fight for the cause of FKN Workers, until all the workers get reinstated.
Apoorva Kaiwar, IndustriALL South Asia Regional Secretary:
IndustriALL stands with the workers of FKN textile and condemns the inhuman behaviour of the management for sacking 24 workers before the day of Eid.