LARKANA: After successful talks with rice millers, who agreed to enhance 10 per cent in daily wages, rice factories workers returned to their jobs at 42 rice mills in Larkana on Wednesday.

Some 400 workers presently engaged in rice mills went on a strike on Dec 3 through their labour union, expressing dissatisfaction on the status of daily wages. Resultantly the work at all the 42 rice mills came to standstill.

On Wednesday, the talks between the rice millers and the workers union mediated by Khair Muhammed Shaikh, president of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), were held at the LCCI’s office. After a long discussion, both parties decided on increasing 10 per cent for all workers connected with rice loading, unloading, weighing and other services. The decision would be effective for one year and in the next year, another 10 per cent would be enhanced, sources privy to the talks said.

The union leaders stressed on giving Rs5.27 per kilogram for weighing paddy or rice, but the rice millers disagreed, saying that the present practice of weighing was calculated through computerised machines on weigh-bridges.

Therefore, it was an unjustified demand, however they (millers) agreed to adjust it on other items, giving financial benefit to the workers. They also said that labourers would get the amount where manual weighing was in practice.

It was decided that decision would be effective from Nov 15. With the decision, the normality returned to the mills and workers returned to the factories on assignments.

Published in Dawn December 8th, 2016