Labour policy yet to be presented in PA

LAHORE
The Punjab Labour Policy heralded by Punjab Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar as the first of its kind in the country is still to be presented by the Punjab Labour and Human Resource Department after a significant delay of nine months.
Sources in the department talking to The News said the policy in its draft form had only just been submitted to the Punjab cabinet and is yet to gain the approval of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. The policy as per past statements of the labour minister was to be presented in a special session of Punjab Assembly by CM Shahbaz Sharif on May 1, 2014 on the occasion of International Labour Day.
Talking to The News, Punjab Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has said the Punjab government will soon announce the Labour Policy to resolve the problems of workers in the informal sector and factories across the province.
He acknowledged that 12 million home-based workers in Punjab were contributing an estimate 32 million dollars to Pakistan’s economy, but due to their non-registration and low wages their living conditions are unchanged. It is also important to note that the Punjab Restriction of Employment of Children Act is yet to be presented in Punjab Assembly and is still under the process of being drafted.
Although it is learnt that the Labour Department has formed committees of stakeholders for the pandemic bonded and child labour in the province in addition to initiating a soft loan scheme of 25,000 rupees for skilled women workers, underprivileged labourers in the province are still to benefit from increased social protection as the Labour Policy is still to be implemented.
Facing inflation in prices of essential commodities and exploitation at the hands of their employers, Punjab’s labour is yet to benefit from favourable changes in labour laws and monetary relief from the government. It is important to note here that millions of labourers are yet to be regularised even after working for 90 continuous days, the stated period for contract workers in the 1934 Factories Act. As per the draft of Punjab Labour Policy available with The News, the initiative of Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar would provide free education, health insurance, marriage and old age benefits in addition to EOBI benefits, and other relief packages for home-based workers that would bring them under the umbrella of social security facilities available to registered workers.
To check inefficient labour inspection of registered establishments in Punjab, the policy draft also implements a computerised system of labour inspection. Taking note of gender discrimination in trade union executive bodies, it also calls for a quota for women workers in the bodies acting as representatives and collective bargaining agents of employed labour. Noting the high number of dispute settlement cases in labour courts and in the province’s Labour Appellate Tribunal (LTA) awaiting trial and verdict, the policy also seeks to develop an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism for workplace matters and outlines a maximum period of 60 days for the dispensation of appeals filed in LTA.
It also eliminates parts of Punjab Industrial Relations Act (PIRA) which places restrictions to form trade unions on labourers working in establishments employing less than 50 people keeping in mind Article 17 of the Constitution. It is pertinent to note that the right to freedom of association is guaranteed under Article 17 of the Constitution. This guarantees every citizen the right to form associations or unions, subject to reasonable restrictions imposed in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of Pakistan, public order and morality.
Trade union leaders from All Pakistan Trade Union Federation (APTUF), Pakistan Workers Confederation, Working Women Organization, and Labour Education Foundation talking to The News expressed their frustrations on the laxity of the Punjab Labour and Human Resource Department.
They demanded the government announce the policy without delay or else province-wide rallies will take place in the coming weeks. In addition to clauses laid down in the policy draft, they demanded the government ensure employers in the province contribute to Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) and EOBI, stop arresting workers on industrial strikes against factory owners, and take strict action against labour inspectors taking bribes from employers thus denying workers much needed social benefits.