Court restores teeth to labour laws

PESHAWAR: The high court on Friday struck down a government amendment to the labour law which ended the applicability of different labour laws, including the one about minimum wages in private educational institutions of the province.

The decision was given by a two-judge bench of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) comprising Justice Ikramullah Khan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, who heard a petition filed by Saleem Shah Hoti.



Hoti had filed the petition in public interest, challenging the government’s move to end the applicability of different labour laws including the one which exempted private educational institutions in the province from paying minimum wage to teachers.



“Private educational institutions have subjected teachers to the worst form of exploitation,” argued the lawyer. “They have also been removed from the purview of the labour department since they are owned by several provincial lawmakers.”

He alleged that in some school, teachers are paid as low as Rs3,000 per month, which was in violation of human rights.

Hoti urged the court to strike down the relevant amendments to the laws after declaring them as illegal and unconstitutional.

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“There is no law in the province to regulate private educational institutions, especially the salary of teachers and working conditions for them,” argued the lawyer.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 12^th, 2018.