Layoff, mandatory payment of wages to employees: Textile mills challenge notifications in SHC

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Thursday sought the reply from Sindh Government in petitions, filed by textile mills challenging the notifications restraining them to lay off the employees and mandatory payment of wages to them.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar ordered the provincial government to submit its reply by April 30, 2020 in 14 petitions, which were clubbed for hearing.

Khalid Mahmood Siddiqui Advocate and Zaheer Minhas Advocate on behalf of textile mills submitted before the court that such restrictions and impositions are violation of the constitutional guarantees.

The petitioners have also contended that Sindh Epidemic Act 2014, under which the said orders have purportedly been issued, does not authorize the government to issue such notifications and impositions.

As such, the same are violation of the act under which these have purportedly been issued. A division bench of the Sindh High Court, while issuing notices on the petitions directed that these petitions shall be heard and decided finally on 4 May 2020.

Meanwhile, a division bench of the SHC issued notices to the provincial government, IG Sindh, IG Motorways and others in petition against restriction on inter-provincial movement. The petition said that restrictions on inter-provincial movement are violation of Article 15 of the constitution, at which the court sought the replies from the provincial government for April 28, 2020.

Meanwhile, the SHC bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar sought the comments from federal government and others on a petition pertaining to petroleum prices in the country for next week.

The petitioner moved the court against high price of petroleum products in the country despite the historical fall in the international oil prices.