Labour tribunal to get two judges this month

Lawyer Rafiq Malik says province’s labour courts lying vacant for a long time.

KARACHI:

Sindh Labour Appellate Tribunal, where the number of litigations involving violations of labour rights has piled up due to the non-availability of judges, will be provided two more judges within the next two weeks, the Sindh High Court was informed on Friday.

Sindh Labour Secretary Noor Muhammad Leghari made this submission during the hearing of a petition filed in 2011 regarding the appointment of staff and the provision of accommodation to the Sindh Service Appellate Tribunal.

During the case hearing, lawyer Rafiq Malik said that the two labour courts in the province were also lying vacant for a long time. He sought direction for the relevant authorities to ensure that the vacant posts of the two presiding officers are filled soon. Leghari informed the judges that their appointment is in process and would be finalised within two weeks.

The case is based on an inspection report by a SHC Judge in July 2011, which was later converted into a constitutional petition and further proceedings were initiated by the then SHC chief justice.

According to the inspection report, some 410 cases were pending trial before the Labour Court-I. The then judge of the court had said that some 200 judgments of cases were pending because there was no stenographer.

The Labour Court-II had 280 pending cases when the inspection was carried out.

On a query of the bench, Works and Services department secretary Qazi Shahid Pervaiz said that a request has already been sent to the finance ministry seeking sanction of funds for the renovation of the building of the Sindh Service Tribunal.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 9^th, 2014.