Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqar has ordered two separate inquiries against the Sindh Revenue Board (SRB) and the provincial labour department for their failure to act against the non-payment of the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) and the Workers Participation Fund (WPF), and the failure of the Directorate General of Labour to register industrial units.
“If both the organisations, the SRB and the DG Labour, had taken timely action, the recovery of Rs16.4 billion for the workers funds could have been ensured,” said the caretaker chief minister of Sindh.
Baqar chaired a joint meeting of the SRB, the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution and the Sindh Workers Welfare Board at the CM House on Monday.
SRB Chairman Wasif Memon said that the missing amount of the WWF and the WPF has been updated in the ledger of the Nazir of the Sindh High Court, and now the Nazir’s ledger shows 39 cases depositing Rs19.29 billion.
The meeting was told that the 78 non-compliant litigant fund payers have been issued 19 show-cause notices by raising the demand of Rs35.97 billion in which the Sindh component would come to Rs7 billion. The meeting was also told that 54 industrial units owe Rs3.106 billion. Baqar questioned the inaction against the non-paying industries. The SRB team said they have now issued show-cause notices to the defaulting industrial units.
The interim CM expressed his displeasure, and ordered a high-level inquiry against the SRB to find the motives for their lethargy. “These are funds meant for workers, but due to vested interests, industrial units are given favour at the cost of the welfare of workers, which is not acceptable at any cost.”
The meeting was told that 127 defaulting units owe Rs13.4 billion under the head of WWF and WPF. When Baqar was told that these 127 units are unregistered, he expressed his displeasure, and asked about the action taken by the DG Labour.
“The DG Labour is responsible for registering the industrial units, but even then, they fail to do so,” he said, and ordered the labour secretary and the finance secretary to conduct an inquiry and fix responsibility on the delinquent officers.
The meeting was told that there are 1,000 flats at the Labour Square, Gulshan-e-Maymar. The caretaker CM had earlier directed the Workers Welfare Board to renovate them and allot those that were vacant.
In compliance with his orders, out of 32 blocks comprising 1,000 flats, 15 blocks of 480 flats have been renovated and are ready for allotment. The remaining 17 blocks of 520 flats would be renovated by next month.
Baqar directed the welfare board to ensure the functioning of the primary school, community centre, dispensary, shops, mosques and industrial homes at the Labour Square. He said he would personally visit the flats and meet the residents to assess the quality of the renovation.
He was informed that the welfare board has paid Rs7.5 million against the electricity bill of the Labour Square but the power has not been restored even then. The interim CM phoned the K-Electric CEO and directed him to get the electricity restored by evening.