Industrial inspections yet to be completed
Minister says the job will be done by January 8
Minister says the job will be done by January 8. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
The Labour Department says it has concluded inspection of 800 industrial units in 13 industrial estates throughout the province.
In November, the department was given four weeks to inspect 16,000 registered units in the Punjab.
District Labour Officer Syed Hasnaat Javed said there were various reasons for the department being unable to inspect all 16,000 industrial units. “Inspection of 60 to 65 per cent of units in Sundur and Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Estates has been completed. We have also inspected units not registered with the department,” Javed told The Express Tribune.
“At times we cannot update the system owing to problems with the software or the Wi-Fi,” he said. On Thursday, Javed said, the department inspected 24 units in Lahore and 35 on Friday. He said the department focussed on child labour, minimum wage and occupational health and safety of workers while inspecting a manufacturing unit.
Deadline
Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar told a meeting on Friday that inspection of the remaining units would be carried out by January 8. He expressed his concern over child labour detected at 17 industrial units.
He said the government had enhanced penalties under the Punjab Restriction of Employment of Children Act. He said the department had made an application that would help ensure greater transparency during the inspection. “It has been developed with the technical assistance of the World Bank and the Punjab Information Technology Board.”
Labour Department Director General Muhammad Salim Hussain said the online labour inspection of all units in industrial estates of Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khanewal, Rawalpindi and Sahiwal had been completed. He said inspection of 410 out of 596 units in Quaid-i-Azam and Sundar Industrial Estates had been completed.
He said that eight teams had been tasked with inspection. As many as 115 industrial units in Faisalabad and 70 units in Multan had been inspected, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2016.
The Labour Department says it has concluded inspection of 800 industrial units in 13 industrial estates throughout the province.
In November, the department was given four weeks to inspect 16,000 registered units in the Punjab.
District Labour Officer Syed Hasnaat Javed said there were various reasons for the department being unable to inspect all 16,000 industrial units. “Inspection of 60 to 65 per cent of units in Sundur and Quaid-i-Azam Industrial Estates has been completed. We have also inspected units not registered with the department,” Javed told The Express Tribune.
“At times we cannot update the system owing to problems with the software or the Wi-Fi,” he said. On Thursday, Javed said, the department inspected 24 units in Lahore and 35 on Friday. He said the department focussed on child labour, minimum wage and occupational health and safety of workers while inspecting a manufacturing unit.
Deadline
Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar told a meeting on Friday that inspection of the remaining units would be carried out by January 8. He expressed his concern over child labour detected at 17 industrial units.
He said the government had enhanced penalties under the Punjab Restriction of Employment of Children Act. He said the department had made an application that would help ensure greater transparency during the inspection. “It has been developed with the technical assistance of the World Bank and the Punjab Information Technology Board.”
Labour Department Director General Muhammad Salim Hussain said the online labour inspection of all units in industrial estates of Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khanewal, Rawalpindi and Sahiwal had been completed. He said inspection of 410 out of 596 units in Quaid-i-Azam and Sundar Industrial Estates had been completed.
He said that eight teams had been tasked with inspection. As many as 115 industrial units in Faisalabad and 70 units in Multan had been inspected, he said.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 2nd, 2016.