7 February, 2013NTUF is campaigning for 5,000 textile workers rendered jobless after an international exporter absconded and closed two companies, Joe's Fashion Export and J&M Clothing.
The factories were locked up and left without fulfilling mandatory requirements to inform the workers or authorities or pay out accrued benefits to the workers, most of who have worked at the factories for more than 20 years.
The owner, Mohsim Ayoub Mirza, closed Joe's Fashion Export, situated in Korangi Industrial Area (KIA), on 17 January 2013 and then shut down another business, J&M Clothing, situated in an export process zone, on 31 January 2013.
There is no union present at the factory to represent the workers who have been producing for exporters of garments to the European Union and international brands.
The National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) is now representing the workers and has moved an application to the Labour Department seeking justice for the affected employees. The NTUF believes the factories were closed not due to lack of orders, but because of the opening of a new export process zone. The owner has one other companies and NTUF is looking into its status.
The NTUF also demands that international brands take note of the situation and make the owner bound to follow international labour standards. This move of the owner has also disturbed the local suppliers, also left wondering where to get their pending dues.
IndustriALL Global Union is working with NTUF in attempting to identify and contact the brands that have contracts with these two companies.