Awareness drive on labour laws launched

Islamabad : Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration’s Directorate of Labour and Industries has launched a full-fledged drive to sensitise the employers and workers about various labour laws among.

The initiative was aimed at promoting good working relationship between employers and employees through a better understanding of rights and responsibilities, said Director Labour and Industries, ICT, Sadia Haider in an exclusive chat with this agency.

She said banners bearing salient features of labour laws had been put on display across the city for the purpose.

Besides, panaflex standees were also displayed at the premises of leading employers offices, small industries and shopping malls to create awareness among the workers about their rights.

“The department is committed to providing all means for workers’ rights protection while ensuring employers interests are also being met,” she remarked.

The ICT labour department, she said was making all-out efforts to provide full access to workers to the grievance redressal mechanism set up for the protection of their rights.

“We have provided a massive relief to the workers by ensuring clearance of their outstanding dues from employers through strict implementation of labour laws in the federal capital during the ongoing year,” she noted.

Sadia said despite the coronavirus pandemic, the department was actively engaged in the redressal of workers complaints.

Heavy fines were being imposed against those employers who did not adhere to labour laws, she maintained.

To a query, she said the department was determined for the elimination of child/bonded labour from Islamabad.

She said it was not possible for the department to determine the total number of children working in houses, but there was a plan to carry out a door-to-door survey in collaboration with UNICEF to get first-hand information in that regard.

The compilation of data would eventually help ensure the enactment of the law to end the child domestic labour, she concluded.

Poverty was the main reason behind the child labour, she said and underscored the need to educate the masses about the rights of children and helping them understand that children are meant to be at school and not work.

Some 247 factories and 4,005 shops/establishments were registered with the ICT Labour Department, an official source in ICT administration told this agency. Out of total 92 marble units in the federal capital, around 68 so far were registered, he said.