Industrial relations: Power loom owners allege union excesses

‘Workers are blackmailing factory managements’

FAISALABAD:

Several owners of power looms said on Saturday they would not submit to blackmail by union leaders. They said they would rather shut down factories till action was taken against those trying to extort money from them.

Talking to newsmen, Power Loom Owners’ Association Saddar Sector president Haji Nazir Hussain said a charter of demands had been provided to the district administration.

He said the government had raised the minimum wage for workers but many were demanding greater raises.

“We have requested the district administration to take action against such workers,” he said.

“If they continue to blackmail us, we will not operate our factories at all,” he said. Hussain said no labour union leader should be allowed to enter the factories. He said each worker must operate eight looms and keep the machines clean. He said factory owners reserved the right to remove workers who were not performing.

He said labour union leaders should not be allowed to interfere in human resource decisions.

“Every worker must come to duty on time,” he said. “If he wants a leave, he must inform the factory owner or provide a substitute”.

He said if there was a dispute between the workers and the owner, it should be resolved at the office of Power loom Owners Association.

“If a factory is closed due to a technical fault, the owner should not be bound to pay wages for the day to the workers,” he said.

“If workers want to close a factory to protest some matter, they must submit an application to the office of Power Loom Owners’ Association’s office 72 hours ahead of the proposed shut down,” he said.

He said each worker should submit a photocopy of his computerised national identity card (CNIC) to his employer. Nazir said if the district administration did not accept their demands, power looms would be closed indefinitely.

“Most workers support their employers,” he said. “They want to keep the factories running,” he said.

“But there are some elements who want to extort money in the name of workers’ rights,” he said. “We (power loom owners) too have certain rights,” he said. He said the district administration should not allow labour union leaders to blackmail them.

“Power looms are an important part of Faisalabad’s economy,” he said. “We can bring it to a halt if our rights are not safeguarded,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2015.