Golden handshake: Retired fertiliser employees protest against not being paid

SUKKUR: Dozens of former employees of Fauji Fertiliser Company (FFC) in Mirpur Mathelo protested against what they said were unpaid dues for those who had retired.

The workers staged a sit-in outside the main gate of the factory and blocked it for more than six hours.

The former president of the employees union, Mohammad Ameen Soomro, said that the privatisation of Pak-Saudi Fertiliser Company was a “fraud”. Pak-Saudi Fertiliser Company was bought by Fauji Fertiliser Company in 2002.

According to Soomro, Pak-Saudi was worth Rs40 billion but was sold for only Rs7.33 billion.

“The management sacked 500 employees and promised them a golden handshake,” he said. “Even though we got a written statement from them they still haven’t paid.”

Soomro said that the FFC management called the protest unjustified and was not ready to negotiate. He said most of the sacked employees belong to Ghotki and people from other areas were not affected.

Bakhshal Khan Gudaro, an FFC spokesperson, said that the retired employees were trying to blackmail the company. According to him, Soomro had even filed a petition against the company in the Sindh High Court at Karachi. Gudaro claimed that the company had paid all the dues. “I don’t know why they are protesting again and again,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2012.