Issues of Punjab-based textile mills: APTMA leadership to meet government officials today

Chairman APTMA Punjab S M Tanveer said on Tuesday that an emergent general body meeting of APTMA Punjab had authorised the leadership to take final decision regarding an indefinite strike after a meeting with the government functionaries in Islamabad today (July 9, 2014). The general body meeting was largely attended by representatives of mills from Lahore, Faisalabad and Multan. They urged the leadership to hold negotiations with government over gas loadshedding for Punjab-based textile mills.
The general body meeting urged the APTMA management to ensure the viability and sustainability of textile industry and also assure self-respect for the investors/industrialists in the province. S M Tanveer said APTMA members at the meeting were annoyed over non-availability and non-affordability of energy causing mills' closures across the Punjab. However, the APTMA management and the leadership were asked not to take any extreme step prior to holding a meeting with the government functionaries.
The APTMA leadership said laying-off the textile workers during the Holy month of Ramazan would not be a wise decision and let us give another chance to the government for resolving our issues. Chairman APTMA Punjab said the leadership has further assured the members of mills of giving a strike call in case the government fails to meet the Punjab-based textile industry demands.
S M Tanveer said the Punjab-based textile industry was on the verge of collapse and the textile exports have already decreased by $500 million during the last two months. He said the participants of the emergent meeting also apprehended that they would not be able to procure cotton crop, already on the anvil throughout the country. The cotton farmers will also be severely hit by the situation, he added.
He said as many as 10 million direct and indirect worker force are attached with the Punjab-based textile industry and their livelihood is also at stake. S M Tanveer said the investment climate is also terribly affected and the country is unable to generate exportable surplus to avail the benefits of market access under the GSP plus facility. Chairman APTMA has urged the government to ensure uninterrupted 24/7 energy supply with the combination of 16 hours a day electricity and 8 hours a day gas supply to the Punjab-based textile mills.