Baton charge, tear gas shelling on workers rally

Karachi: Police on Tuesday baton charged and fired tear gas shells at workers of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) when they attempted to march towards Governor House, the red-zone area, in protest against non-payment of salaries and release of grant by the Sindh Finance Department.

Hundreds of KMC workers converged at Karachi Press Club on Tuesday noon and moved towards Governor House, however, security layer of police force near Fawara Chowk, in an attempt to disperse them, fired tear-gas shells and resorted to baton-charge and arrested more than a dozen of them.
"A total of 28 of our people have been arrested by the police and they are not allowing us to meet them," claimed General Secretary KMC Workers Union Fareed Awan.
He said concerned police officers said they had no orders to release workers till dusk. He said we would devise a future strategy soon after the release of all our workers.
More than 30,000 workers of KMC have not been paid salaries of June. However Union leaders said that according to an agreement management had to pay salaries of August, the Eid month, in advance but as Sindh Finance Department had not released salaries, it was unlikely we would get paid.
Union leaders have also threatened to stage more strong protest outside Governor House and CM house by parking garbage trucks near them. (PPI)
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