New labour policy soon, says minister

LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Labour and Human Resource Ansar Majeed Niazi has said practical initiatives of the present government will prove to be a milestone in the history of labour welfare as Punjab government under the labour friendly vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan will soon announce a new comprehensive Provincial Labour Policy which will be a true picture of implementation on labour laws and ensure security of the rights of the industrial workers.

The minister said this during briefings given by Labour Welfare Department and Punjab Employees Social Security Institution (PESSI) about the performance of Lahore Division, here on Tuesday.

Secretary Labour Sara Aslam, Director General, Labour Welfare, Farooq Hameed Sheikh, DG, PESSI Headquarters, Babar Abbas and other officers concerned were present during the briefings. During the briefing given by Labour Welfare Departments it was informed that during the year 2018 till now 3,259 factories of Lahore Division have been registered whereas total number of registered workers is 305,812 similarly till now as many as 999 factories and industry units have been expected and prosecutions were lodged against 4237 units in violation of laws whereas a sum of Rs 1281,500 has been received. The meeting was informed that during the year 2018 as many as 206,567 shops and establishments were registered by Labour Welfare Department and whereas during the inspection of 517,98 shops and establishments as many as 108,39 units were persecuted and an amount of rupees 118,3650 was fined.

The minister was informed that in the present year till now as many as 678 brick kilns were inspected and 2,246 employers were prosecuted and a sum of rupees 161,800 has been received in fine. Labour Welfare Department has registered 425 paid unions and in action against the violations of Punjab Prohibition of Child Labour and Brick Kilns Act 2016 a total number of 482 Brick kilns were inspected where 65 cases child labour were found and 80 responsible were arrested in the year 2018. Similarly, under the Punjab Restrictions on Employment of Children Act 2016, during inspection of 732 establishments, total number of 33 cases of child labour was found and 26 violators were arrested.

PKLI: A delegation from Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre visited the consulate of People's Republic of China in Lahore on Tuesday to meet Consul General Mr. Long Dingbin.

According to a press release issued here, the consul general warmly received the PKLI team led by its President and CEO Prof Dr Saeed Akhter. During the meeting, both sides discussed the matters of mutual interest and explored avenues of future collaborations.