Govt told to treat domestic help as labour

Payment of a legally protected minimum wage is the basic right of all workers, says petitioners

LAHORE: Lahore High Court has directed the provincial government to make necessary amendments to the Minimum Wages Act of 1961 to recognise as labourers people employed for domestic help.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah passed the directive last week in a petition filed by Subay Khan, a domestic worker.

Petitioner’s counsel Sheraz Zaka had submitted that the Minimum Wage Act of 1961 contained no guidelines on a minimum wage for domestic helpers. He said payment of a legally protected minimum wage was a fundamental right of all workers. The government’s apathy was depriving people employed for domestic help of this fundamental right, he said.



Zaka also sought a judicial review of the minimum wage law and said that provisions be made in the law allowing petitioners to seek court directions for their employers for payment of the minimum wage.

“Domestic workers are left with no option but to work for nominal wages. It is a violation of their dignity,” he said.

The government’s counsel told the court that domestic helpers were not recognised as industrial labourers under the law. He said suggestions were under consideration to rectify this situation.

The petition was disposed of with directions for the government to amend the Minimum Wages Act so that domestic workers were recognised under it.

Appointment of VCs at four universities

Last week, the LHC stopped the government from proceeding with the appointment of vice-chancellors (VCs) at four public sector universities in the province.

The directions were issued on a petition filed by Dr Asmatullah, a faculty member at PU’s Zoology Department. The provincial and federal governments were asked to respond to the petition by December 15.

The universities are the Punjab University, the Lahore College for Women’s University, the University of Sargodha and the Nawaz Sharif University of Engineering and Technology, Multan.

Lawyers’ examination 

The National Testing Service (NTS) was asked last week to refund Rs15 million it received from 35,000 law graduates to administer an aptitude test for them.

The directive was issued in a petition filed by Farhad Ali Shah. The petitioner had submitted that the Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) requested the NTS administer the exam for graduates intending to join the bar as advocates. He said 35,000 candidates had submitted test fees (Rs3,000 each) when the LHC stopped the NTS from conducting the exam in a petition submitted over the matter. The PBC then administered the text on its own, he said.

The petitioner said the matter was still pending hearing in a court but the NTS had failed to refund the amount it collected as test fee. He requested the court to direct the NTS to return the dues without any delay.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 14^th,  2015.