File photo of Pakistani labourers in Rawalpindi.PHOTO:FAROOQ NAEEM
The leaders of various labour unions have urged the Punjab government to take all the stakeholders onboard before announcing its new labour policy.
The provincial government is going to announce the labour policy on May 1, as after the 18th Amendment, provinces were bound to make their own labour legislations in accordance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions ratified by Pakistan. The leaders were speaking at the concluding ceremony of a two-day workshop on labour rights, jointly organised by the Indus Research and Development Association (IRADA) and the Civic Action Resources- both non-profit, non-governmental organisations.
The basic objective of the workshop was to highlight issues being faced by labourers in Punjab.
The participants discussed labour rights, role of trade unions and the new labour policy the Punjab government was going to announce.
“How is it possible that the fate of 35 million labourers is going to be decided without taking them on board?” asked Shaheena Kausar, secretary-general of the Women Worker Union, who trained the workshop participants.
She said that after the 18th Amendment, provinces were bound to legislate on new labour laws, but unfortunately Punjab was working on the matter at a snail’s pace.
Kausra said that hundreds of labourers were facing problems because labour inspectors stopped visiting factories and industrial units in 2003 after an executive order barring inspections was issued by former chief minister Pervez Elahi.
She said that similarly, there was no social security for labourers as the provincial government was yet to implement the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and the Worker Welfare Fund (WWF) after the 18th Amendment.
Secretary National Trade Union Punjab General Secretary Niaz Khan said that the provincial government has ignored the stakeholders representing 35 million workers in Punjab, while drafting the new labour policy.
Khan said that 60 million people were working across the country and 65 per cent of them were based in Punjab. He regretted that they were not made part of the consultation process by the provincial government before coming out with a new policy.
Meanwhile, when approached for comment by The Express Tribune, Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resources Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, started by asking, “What do they know? Do they have any idea what we are going to do?”
He later said that all the stakeholders would be consulted once the policy becomes clear. However, he refused to share any details of the new labour policy.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2014.
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Amendments in(12)59 THE INDUSTRIAL AND COMMERCIAL EMPLOYMENT (STANDING ORDERS) ORDINANCE, 1968
(1).If the amount of gratuity payable under sub-section ( ) is not paid by the employer within the period specified in sub-section ( ), the employer shall pay, from the date on which the gratuity becomes payable to the date on which it is paid, simple interest at such rate, not exceeding the rate notified by the Central Government from time to time for repayment of long-term deposits, as that Government may, by notification specify: Provided that no such interest shall be payable if the delay in the payment is due to the fault of the employee and the employer has obtained permission in writing from the controlling authority for the delayed payment on this ground.
If any employee succeeds in gaining his/her rights in the case thru the platform of an honourable court, then the establishment will entirely be responsible to bear all those expenses which were incurred/spent by the employee on that case.
Amendments in the sub-section(3) PIRA 2010:
(2) All employees, who are working in any establishment thru either any contractor or any other source, will be considered employees of the establishment and, in the light of Section 3 of PIRA 2010, will equally deserve for all rights.