Dr. Ammar Ali Jan is known to the people of Pakistan as a social as well as real life activist, public speaker who talks about the burning questions and stereotypes in Pakistan. He is currently a professor at Former Christian College and has accused two of the most popular clothing brands of Pakistan for firing their workers. He stated that the brands Generation and Limelight have announced to their workers that they will be relieved free of their duties and jobs on the 1st of April of 2020. Dr. Ammar said that this action was taken due to the economic distress on respective companies produced by the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to him, firing workers in such uncertain and difficult times is no less than a heinous crime especially when a majority of them is struggling to make both ends meet. In his tweet, he pleaded the government of Pakistan to take adequate action against such companies and firms throughout Pakistan which plan to throw their workers in the hell fire of unemployment just for the sake of saving their businesses. He called it inhumane behavior towards the middle class sector of the society.
Workers in Limelight & Generation were told they will be fired on 1st April. Workers' financial situation is already DIRE!
Firing workers during crisis is shameful. Punjab govt must ensure job security & #BasicIncomeNOW or we will face riots in midst of #CoronavirusPandemic.
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) March 21, 2020
He also pointed out towards the possibility of riots and protests by the victims of such moral laxity. There have been days in the history of Pakistan when the employees have taken to the roads for the fulfillment of their rights, when no respective mean of justice has stepped in front to help in time. And now as the pandemic further deepens its claws in Pakistan’s soil, Dr. Ammar suggests that it would be a disaster if such a riot spews out just because of ignorance on behalf of government.
After this accusation, Generation took on to social media and clarified its stance. The company stated that the news of firing of workers was baseless and false. It was of the view that these indeed are difficult times for everybody and the company is taking every step for the welfare of its valued workers. Generation said that it owned its workers and they were not being left alone in these uncertain times.
GENERATION has not fired employees/workers as a result of the upcoming shutdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. This news is false and baseless. The factory is being shut down initially for two weeks to safeguard health of our staff; a difficult but necessary decision. https://t.co/kyuYVE780u
— GENERATION (@GENERATION_PK) March 21, 2020
The company also informed that it had taken the extreme measure of halting the entire manufacturing process in all its factories in an attempt to safeguard the human labor force and all associated workers of all departments from the novel infection.
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