Sindh considering introducing universal registration of workers, says Ghani

CM’s adviser says agriculture workers will also be registered and given facilities available to industrial workers; promises better labour policy

Karachi

The Sindh government is seriously considering introducing universal registration of workers, including agriculture workers, in Sindh so they can avail themselves of facilities available to industrial workers.

It was stated by Senator Saeed Ghani, adviser to the chief minister on labour affairs, on Thursday while speaking as chief guest at the inaugural session of a workshop titled “Situation Analysis of Labour Rights in Sindh and Recommendations”. 

The workshop was jointly organised by the National Commission for Human Rights and the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) at Piler Centre.

“We are seriously considering digitalising the Social Security Card, which is currently outdated and manual, and I will soon meet with Nadra officials to link the registered labourers’ data with the national data,” he said, adding that former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who belongs to the Pakistan People’s Party, had announced the universal labour registration scheme, but it was not implemented.

He said that after the passage of the 18 amendment, the provincial government could take its own decisions. A tripartite labour conference would be held within two or three months to discuss labour legislation, he said.  Discussing his engagements in the ministry after being inducted into the cabinet last week, Ghani said that he had started taking measures to improve the working of the labour department and its affiliated institutions, hospitals and schools. 

“Within three months, visible change can be witnessed and we would turn around the labour department within one year,” he claimed.

The labour department would soon recruit technical staff for conducting inspections and performing other functions, he said.  “Currently, only four employees are working in Minimum Wages section of the labour department, whereas at least 40 employees are required in this section. My first priority is utilise the existing staff and facilities,” he said.

Requesting the trade unions and labour organizations to assist him, he said that a task force should be made with representation from trade unions.

Ghani pointed out that he was seriously considering framing a labour policy and in this regard former labour policies, including that of 1972, would also be considered. “Our policy would be even better than the 1972 Labour Policy.”

He said he was aware of the labour courts’ problems and would soon hold meetings with labour court Judges and the chief justice of the Sindh High Court to discuss the issues.

Speaking on the occasion, Habibuddin Junaidi, convener of the Sindh Labour Solidarity Committee, appreciated the appointment Ghani as adviser for the labour department.

He said the implementation of the minimum wages was very weak in Sindh and in over 70 percent industries and commercial establishments minimum wages were not given.

The situation in the banking sector had worsened and trade union movements in the banking industry had diminished, and if the situation continued, they would vanish within years, he added.  Earlier, Karamat Ali, executive director of Piler, said Pakistan was signatory and had ratified many international conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). 

“Pakistan has ratified Convention 87, which deals with the right to join trade unions or associations and the ILO Convention 98 deals with the collective bargaining right. Currently, only one percent of labour is orgainised in trade union movement,” he added.

He underlined the need to remove all barriers from the labour laws. “Unfortunately, no legislation has been made in any province which can provide every labourer an unconditional right to join trade unions and exercise his right of collective bargaining.”

Pakistan has ratified all eight core labour conventions of the ILO. Implementation of the labour laws is the responsibility of the provinces after the 18th amendment was made to the constitution.

Anis Haroon, member of the NCHR, explained the working of the commission and said it could take suo moto action on a petition sent by a victim or any other citizen over violations of human rights. She pointed out that the Sindh government had announced it would provide agriculture land to the landless peasants and according to a recently launched report the scheme was incomplete. 

“Those women who have received lands are able to cultivate those lands and are becoming empowered.”

Senior lawyer Shahid Anwar Bajwa pointed out that many departments, professions and international treaties and conventions were included in the federal legislative list after the 18th amendment, and there was a need to evolve a common strategy by discussing the laws by all provinces.

Aziz Memon, assistant director of the Sindh Labour Department, in his presentation, pointed out that Sindh was the first province that adopted labour-friendly legislations. He explained the details of various laws which had been enacted by the Sindh Assembly.