Labour leaders reject proposed labour code

LAHORE : Labour leaders have unanimously rejected the Punjab government and the International Labour Organisation’s proposed Labor Code 2024, denouncing it as a tool designed to oppress workers further.

At a meeting at Bakhtiar Hall on Saturday, they argued that the draft legislation is part of an agenda set by foreign countries and global organisations and a deliberate conspiracy to strip workers of their rights.

The participants expressed concern that the current government, in collaboration with international bodies, is pushing forward with a privatisation agenda that threatens to weaken the trade union movement across public sector institutions in the country.

Labour representatives from all districts of Punjab attended the meeting, pledging that if the Punjab government attempts to implement the law without addressing the objections raised, they will launch direct action plans in every district and city across the province.

A resolution passed at the conference highlighted the need to inform the government about the flaws and shortcomings in the proposed law and to press for negotiations to ensure tripartite consultations are conducted. This, they argued, is essential to address the growing unrest among workers. The leaders asserted that any restrictions on the freedom of trade unions and freedom of expression, as guaranteed under Article 17 of the Constitution, would be categorically rejected.

The meeting concluded with a special prayer for the prosperity, development, and well-being of the country. The conference also included sharp criticism of the government’s privatisation policy, expressing solidarity with thousands of WAPDA, Railways, and Utility Stores employees, and reaffirming the commitment to a unified struggle against privatisation. Muhammad Hanif Ramay, Coordinator of the Punjab Labour Alliance, chaired the meeting and saw participation from prominent figures, including Khurshid Ahmed, Shamsur Rehman Swati, Abdul Rehman Aasi, Usama Tariq, Saeed Ahmed Khattak, Nusrat Bashir Zafar, Syeda Ghulam Fatima, Aima Mahmood, Muhammad Akbar, Niaz Khan, Chaudhry Mahmood Alahad, Rana Tahir Mahmood, Zulfiqar Sarmadi, Baba Sarwar, Malik Afzal Awan, Syed Wasif Hussain Shah, Haseebur Rehman, Muhammad Amin Minhas, Naseeruddin Humayun Malik, Zia Syed, Hassan Muhammad Rana, Comrade Irfan Ali, Muhammad Hussain Wattoo, Raja Ghulam Mustafa, Muhammad Afzal, Nasir Aman Sandhu, Mumtaz Zahoor, and other key leaders.