SHC refuses to hear Pakistan Steel Mills employees’ plea

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) employees pertaining to their imminent sacking due to the privatization of the state entity.

According to sources, Pakistan Steel Labor Union (PASLU) had filed a petition in Sindh High Court, seeking court’s judgment against the federal government’s decision to privatize Pakistan Steel Mills.

The federal government’s decision to retrench the PSM employees is illegal and should be declared unlawful, the petition read.

During the hearing, Justice Umar Sial remarked that it has no jurisdiction over the matter for the case is already been dealt with by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC).

To this, the PSM employee’s lawyer said the case in the apex court is related to the promotion of employees, not the privatization issue.

The SHC justice cautioned the lawyer and his clients that it was not their union but a court session and if they do not maintain decorum they will go to jail.

“What you people have done to the steel mills, everyone knows it,” Justice Sial remarked. After hearing this, the expelled the PSM employees from the courtroom.

On June 9, Federal Cabinet endorsing the decisions of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had approved the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills.

According to details, the meeting of the Federal Cabinet was chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the meeting, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills.

Presiding over the federal cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that in the privatization of Pakistan Steel Mills, securing national interests as well as the benefit of the workers should be kept in consideration.

Earlier, the government had approved the dismissal of 9,350 employees of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) with a collective payment of Rs 20 billion.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) chaired by Dr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Finance Advisor to the Prime Minister.