Treasury, opposition MPAs one on salary increase

Punjab Assembly session

LAHORE: The treasury and opposition members of the Punjab Assembly on Friday were unanimous on the increase of their salaries as the House passed two legislations, one enhancing the maternity leave benefits to women employees before and after childbirth and other doubling the salaries and allowances of members of the Punjab Assembly.

Both the treasury and opposition members unanimously passed the legislation that raised the salaries, allowances, perks and privileges of the members of the Punjab Assembly to nearly 100 percent. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah expressed gratitude to the opposition members, especially those of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for extending cooperation in passing this legislation.

He submitted to the Speaker Rana Iqbal Khan that salaries and allowances of the MPAs needed to be raised and rationalised to cater for inflation and making it comparable with the emoluments of MPAs and parliamentary secretaries in other provinces.

He said he was under pressure from the treasury benches to raise the salaries, perks and privileges of MPAs which were last raised in 2006. He said the chief minister initially refused to allow such legislation, but later agreed on the condition that it should be unconditionally supported by the opposition members.

He said later the bill was approved by the chief minister only when he (Sanaullah) brought the Leader of the Opposition Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed to the chief minister for holding a meeting on the matter.

In another legislation, the Punjab Maternity BenefitsAmendment Bill requires that no woman worker shall be engaged in employment during a period of six weeks after and before having childbirth. Besides, women employees must not be given strenuous work or that needing long hours of standing or that likely to adversely affect her health for one month immediately before and after the mandatory six weeks leave period.

The House also allowed two amendments to the bill which required that these maternity benefits should be allowed to women employees working on regular or temporary basis, and women employed in the jobs of any nature.

Opposition’s Khadija Umar, Faiza Malik and others suggested that woman workers needed more benefits in accordance with the conventions applicable in other parts of the world. Law Minister Rana Sanaullah told the House that the legislation was aimed at protecting the ante and post-natal health of working mothers, apart from the existing provision of six weeks leave. Later, the proceeding of the session was adjourned for Monday, February 15.