Petition filed against removal of factory workers in Punjab during COVID-19 lockdown

LAHORE: A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) challenging the removal of several factory workers and private employees during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The petition filed by Advocate Ishtiaq A Chaudhry. In the plea he nominated provincial Department of Industries, Government of Punjab as well as Commerce and Department of Labour as respondents.

The petition, while observing that a nationwide lockdown has been imposed to limit the spread of the novel COVID-19 in the country, the petition points out that trade organisations and factory owners have terminated several workers during the lockdown in the province.

The petition further reads “Trade organisations have also cut the salaries of workers in Punjab.”

It also observed that the governments in Balochistan and  Sindh have undertaken measures to protect the jobs of workers in their provinces but in Punjab, it claims, several workers are now facing financial ruin after losing their jobs.

The petitioner appealed the court to direct the Punjab government to restore all workers fired after the imposition of the COVID-19 lockdown.

Earlier, government had imposed strict lockdown across the country to limit the spread of the coronavirus through social distancing. Factories and industries were also closed since the lockdown was imposed.

However, authorities directed the labour, industries, and health departments, as well as the law enforcement agencies to outline SOPs based on the opinion of health experts at the earliest so production units will be allowed to open during the coronavirus outbreak.