A petition has been filed in the Sindh High Court (SHC) against privitazation of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) and sacking of its employees.According to details, Pakistan Steel Labour Union (PASLU) President Asim Bhatti and others moved the SHC and took the stance that workers are not responsible for the PSM’s current condition. Asim Bhatti has made the federal government and ministry of Production respondent in his plea.Due to wrong policies of past government Steel Mills went into deficit, employees are not responsible for the loss, the petition read.The incumbent government has also done nothing for the revival of the PSM and now it has decided to lay off its employees by privatizing it.“The federal government’s decision to retrench the PSM employees is illegal and should be declared unlawful.” The plaintiff has urged the SHC to pass judgement to refrain federal government from privatizing the PSM and sacking its employees for their jobs.Earlier, on June 3, the government had approved retrenchment of all the 9,350 employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM). A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet presided over by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. “The meeting gave a go-ahead to a ‘full and final’ human resource rationalisation plan for the PSM employees in accordance with the judgements and observations of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and other courts hearing the cases involving the PSM,” said an official announcement
