Pro-labour laws to be enforced in Sindh at any cost: PPP leaders

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders on Wednesday reiterated that the pro-labour laws passed by the Provincial Assembly of Sindh would be enforced in the province at any cost.

They were speaking at a programme held under the aegis of the Peoples Labour Bureau at the Arts Council on the eve of International Workers Day. The PPP leaders criticised the federal government’s policy of privatising public sector entities, saying that privatising these organisations would lead to the exploitation of their workers.

Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani said that the supremacy of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would go against the rights of labourers in the country. Rabbani lamented that the government has to consult with the IMF for preparing its budget. He said labourers in Pakistan had never thought of the IMF’s complete supremacy in Pakistan. He conceded that all the rights of the workers are not being fulfilled in Sindh.

He also said that the institution of trade unions has been abolished in the country under a well-thought-out plan. He lamented that major organisations in the country are either bereft of trade unions or these representative bodies of labourers are paralysed.

The former Senate chairman also called upon the provincial government and the chief minister to resolve the justified problems of the labourers of the Steel Mill.

He also condemned India for unilaterally suspending the Indus Waters Treaty. He said the treaty is an international accord without the provision for suspending its implementation. He said that every Pakistani would actively fight to defend the country in case of Indian aggression. Labourers would also ensure the defence of Pakistan, he added.

Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani on the occasion urged trade unions to transform themselves and adapt to the present era. He said labourers in large institutions do not get voting rights to elect their representatives.

Ghani said that an investigation should be conducted to ascertain the reasons behind the denial of the rights of labourers in the country. He said he had initiated some pro-worker reforms while he was the provincial labour minister.

He lamented that contractual service of workers has been continuing against the provisions of law. He said he has witnessed the degeneration of the institution of trade unions during his 30-year political career.

He also said the PPP is the most pro-labour political party in the country. He urged labourers to change their conduct and way of practising politics. Sindh Labour Minister Abdul Salam Taheem said the provincial government would take action against the institutions that have not been paying the government-notified minimum wage of workers.

Taheem said the PPP would support the representatives of labourers who have been striving to secure the rights of workers. He said the pro-labour laws passed by the PA would be implemented.