The government should allow workers from the electronics sector to unionise and not deny them an effective platform to fight for their rights, said Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail. In a statement issued o­n Monday, Wan Azizah said workers have the right to negotiate for better employment and economic terms.

"It is imperative for the government to remove the ban o­n electronics workers to unionise," the Permatang Pauh MP added.

She said the government had prohibited the formation of a trade union in the industry based o­n the belief that organised labour would scare off foreign investors. Other sectors had already unionised and received foreign investments, she said, adding that workers facing retrenchment could seek protection through a unionised body for collective negotiations.

On the name of self-defense with the support of American imperialist, Israel brutally and shamefully attacked millions of innocent Lebanese People. We are very much shaken by the Israel army's brutal attack o­n the innocent people of Lebanon. In view of these humiliating attacks o­n the Lebanon, APTUF always condemned the imperialist forces aggression o­n innocent people and also Israel brutal attack o­n the Lebanon and Palestinian peoples.

The National Assembly of Pakistan made an objectionable amendments o­n June 21st in the Factories Act enhancing working hours from 8 to 10 for women workers and 8 to 12 hours male workers without any debate, not o­nly this but the finance bill has illegally introduce amendments in the following laws. Factories Act 1934, Shops and Establishment Ordinance 1969, Pakistan Industrial & Commercial Employment Standing Order Ordinance 1968, Workers Welfare Fund Ordinance 1971 and The Employees Old Age Benefit Act 1976.

In the Shops & Establishment Ordinance government has not increase the working hours but the compulsory weekly holiday has been abolished. A new category of the contract workers has been added to the Standing Order Ordinance. These workers will not be entitled to compensate overtime. In addition, the ceiling of working overtime has been raised from 150 hours to 624 hours a year for adult and from 100 hours to 468 hours for Juveniles.