Around 400 workers of Star Laboratories on Tuesday staged a protest against the factory administration for allegedly ordering torture of four workers by factory security guards late on Sunday night.
According to factory workers, the protest was attended by workers and their families. They claimed that on Tuesday, workers staged a peaceful protest outside the factory. Protesting workers did not work until 12 pm but after intervention of a local representative and other notables of the area, workers stopped protesting and started working.
According to a worker, they started protesting late on Monday night when security guards, on orders of the factory administration, tortured four workers including Rajab Ali, Akhtar Rehman, Hafiz Salim and Arif Ali for allegedly stealing an air conditioner of the factory.
Workers claimed that late on Monday night, they kept Main Multan Road blocked for more than an hour on which Choong Police baton-charged workers and arrested a few of them, including women.
They claimed that afterwards, police released all workers after orders of high-ups and requested them to forget the matter.
Workers said that families of four victims, on intervention of notables of the area, forgave the factory administration but workers presented more demands including increasing salaries up to Rs 7,000, gratuity, social security, ending overtime work and supply of food to start working on Tuesday.
They said that the factory administration agreed to give Rs 6,300 a month and lunch to every worker. Workers said that the factory administration requested them to constitute a committee of 10 women and 10 men workers for further talks.
Workers said that if the factory administration did not respond to their demands until today (Wednesday), then they will launch a massive protest. Despite repeated attempts, the factory administration was not available for comments.
