Qaim says Sindh to devise a new labour policy

Karachi
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah announced on Friday to announce a new labour policy in the province after consulting all the stakeholders concerned.
He made the announcement while addressing a program held at the CM House by People’s Labour Bureau in connection with the Labour Day.
He said a new labour policy for Sindh will be devised to safeguard workers’ rights in accordance with the standards set by the United Nations and International Labour Organisation.
For this purpose, he said, committees will be set up at the divisional and taluka levels having representation of labourers, employers and the government, which will organise conferences at the local level.
Moreover, he said, labour standing committees will also be constituted to take the input of all stakeholders concerned for adopting a new labour policy.
He said the Pakistan People’s Party, being the major party in the Senate, will move the upper house for a bill for giving due representation to labourers in the parliament. He said the party will try and get other parties on board to try and get the bill passed from the parliament.
On the occasion, the chief minister also announced to establish labour courts in divisions while also declaring to put in place a more effective mechanism for inspection of workplaces.
He also announced to send five children of labourers in the province abroad for attaining higher education and constructing new residential colonies, vocational training centres and schools.
He said this year the Sindh government will host the South Asian Labour Conference while the Asian Labour Conference will be organised next year.
The chief minister said the provincial government will also work actively to oppose the privatisation of the public sector organisations and enterprises.
He said the Sindh government had time and time again approached the Centre and sent letters and summaries for devolving the Employees’ Old Age Benefit Institution and Workers’ Welfare Fund. He said the matter had also been raised in the Council of Common of Interests but to no avail.
Vice chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, Sherry Rehman, while speaking on the occasion said it had been in the previous tenure of government that all black laws against interests of labourers and media had been abolished.

Senate chairman
Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has said that strategic assets of the country should not be sold out to foreigners in the name of privatisation.
Addressing an international Labour Day programme at the Karachi Press Club on Friday, he said such sales should not be made in the present situation of the region, under which, security affairs should be given prime importance.
The Senate chairman lamented the weakening of the trade union movements in Pakistan and said labourers must maintain complete unity and shun away communal and provincial differences to wage a unified struggle against influential quarters.
He said the elites of the country should clearly understand the situation that there was no future of feudalism and capitalism in the country.
Rabbani added that democratic institutions in the country could not be strengthened until and unless their ownership would be fully transferred to the masses.
He said all political parties with representation in parliament had mutually decided that public petitions could be sent to the Senate for consideration on issues of public interests.
Under this decision, any common man or labourer could directly send his or her public petition to the Senate.
Rabbani said that seats should be reserved for representation of labourers in the legislature, as parliament could not be made fully representative of public until and unless there would be due representation of workers in it.