HYDERABAD, Sept 23: The secretary-general of the Muttahida Labour Federation (MLF), Qamoos Gul Khattak, has refuted the allegations of the president of National Labour Federation, Sindh chapter, against the Sindh Minister for Labour, Adil Siddiqi.

He was speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Friday.

The NLF leader had levelled serious allegations of inefficiency and corruption against the labour minister at a press conference here on Thursday.

Mr Khattak, who claimed to represent 430 trade unions in all provinces of Pakistan, said that the minister had taken bold decisions to solve problems of the working class and presented them at the federal level.

He said that it was due to efforts of the labour minister that neuro and cardiac wards were set up at the Walika Hospital, Karachi, and at the Kotri Hospital. The number of specialists in hospitals and doctors were increased and a kidney centre was established in Landhi in Karachi, he said.

He said the number of registered workers was increased by 35 per cent and free medicines were being provided to everyone.

The secretary-general said that four model schools with a capacity of 7,200 children were established in Sindh where free textbooks and uniforms were being provided to them. A medical and dental college was also constructed for the children of workers, he said.

He said that one college each for girls and boys had already been built in Kotri.

He said that Mr Siddiqi had increased the death grant from Rs75,000 to Rs150,000 and had given 2,000 houses to workers on easy instalments.

Mr Khattak said that 1,000 flats were near completion in Gulshan-e-Maymar, Karachi, while another 3,000 would be constructed with the facilities of mosque, hospital, and school due to efforts of the minister.

He said that similar housing facilities were also being provided to the industrial workers of Hyderabad, Kotri and Larkana.

He said that scholarships were also being provided to children of workers.

The secretary-general said that those who were criticizing Mr Siddiqi were doing it for their own benefit.

BANGLE WORKERS: The general secretary of the Hyderabad Glass Bangle Mazdoor Ittehad Union, Siraj Gadi, has condemned the illegal lockout in 30 bangle manufacturing factories and demanded to the authorities to take its notice.

In a statement issued here on Friday, he said that the factories were lying closed since September 22 and the factory owners did not bother to pay wages to thousand of workers who had become jobless.

He appealed to the Sindh chief minister, the secretary and the director of labour to take notice of the illegal closure of the bangle manufacturing units.