Govt to implement minimum wages
PHOTO: FILE
The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) will soon launch an aggressive campaign to strictly implement minimum wages of labourers.
"Provincial government is evolving a mechanism to receive and address workers' complaints," said SHRC Chairman Iqbal Detho.
Detho was speaking at a provincial consultation on the "Implementation of Minimum Wage Act" jointly organised by SHRC and The Knowledge Forum at a local hotel here on Friday.
The consultation was largely attended by trade unions/labour leaders, human rights defenders, representatives of concerned government departments and the media people.
Detho said that the commission daily receives complaints regarding the non-implementation of minimum wages.
The SHRC would provide an online complaint form and the labour department's Sindh Wage Board would assist in this regard.
The main objective was to reach a consensus and propose a systematic approach for the government to determine the minimum wage rate for both skilled and unskilled workers.
Talking about the role of SHRC to ensure the protection of the human rights of citizens, Detho said the commission is a legally established entity with the authority to take suomoto actions against violation of human rights.
He pointed out that Pakistan is a signatory of important international conventions including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) and ILO's many conventions.
Sindh Minimum Wages Board Chairman Zulfiqar Nizamani said the minimum wages are fixed keeping in view the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the price hike. Nizamani said the Sindh government will soon announce the minimum wages.
Moreover, he said the government is emphasising paying wages to workers through banks.
Trade union leader Zehra Khan said employees and employers are two main stakeholders, but there is a trust gap between them. She pointed out that countries around the world are moving from minimum wages to living wages.
Being a member of the Minimum Wage Board, M. Khan said besides unskilled workers, the board has also started fixing minimum wage for homebased workers.
For the first time, minimum wages for glass bangle workers are fixed and published in the official Gazette.
Imtiaz Ali Shah, Managing Director of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWM), shared the measures taken by the board to implement the minimum wage for sanitary workers and to ensure necessary protections for these workers.
The SSWM has initiated a complaint monitoring system (CRM) to address issues related to minimum wage, provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and first at the workplace.