SHC directs Sessi to ensure registration of daily wagers

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (Sessi) to ensure registration of daily-wage labourers under the Sessi law and directed its counsel to come prepared on the next hearing to argue on a petition with regard to inclusion of daily wagers under the Sessi and Employees Old Age Benefit Institution (EOBI).

Hearing a petition with regard to the registration of daily-wage labourers under the Sessi and EOBI laws, a division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar took exception to the failure to register daily wagers under the Sessi and EOBI laws.

The high court observed that labourers were treated like cattle at every corner of the road. The bench inquired Sessi officials as to what steps had been taken to ensure registration of daily-wage labourers and provision of benefits to them that were guaranteed under the law.

The SHC asked how many registered workers were there in Sessi’s record. A Sessi official submitted that around 876,000 labourers had been registered by the institution.

The high court expressed astonishment at the number of registered labourers and observed that around 600,000 labourers were registered 10 years back. The bench inquired as to what steps had been taken to ensure the registration of labourers.

The SHC observed that Sessi officials should visit petrol pumps, street corners and roundabouts to register the daily-wage labourers who waited there in the hope of finding any work.

The bench observed that there was also the Agriculture Workers Act and asked what steps had been taken for the registration of agriculture workers. The SHC directed Sessi to ensure registration of daily wagers under the law and directed its counsel to come prepared to argue on the petition on the next hearing.