Sindh govt launches Benazir Mazdoor Card on Labour Day

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that the federal government’s deal with the International Monetary Fund has badly affected industrial growth in the country and it has also deprived workers of their due rights.

He said this on Saturday while addressing a ceremony organised by the Sindh labour department at the CM House for distribution of the Benazir Mazdoor Card.

The ceremony was attended by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, provincial ministers Saeed Ghani, Nasir Shah and Jam Ikram Dharejo, PPP leader Waqar Mehdi, labour leaders and workers.

Bilawal urged the federal government to direct the Federal Board of Revenue to stop the collection of Workers' Welfare Fund immediately and immediately transfer the funds collected so far to the Sindh government.

He said the PPP government in Sindh was observing Labour Day by launching the Benazir Mazdoor Card, through which workers would be able to avail necessary benefits and facilities such as education, health, marriage grants, financial assistance, scholarships and on top of it, pension.

He said that it was PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who had launched labour-friendly policies in the country, under which workers were given due privileges. He added that during Bhutto’s ero, there were trade unions to work their workers’ rights but when dictator General Ziaul Haq came into power, he snatched away all the rights of the workers.

The PPP chairman recalled that Benazir Bhutto, during her first tenure as the prime minister, restored all the snatched rights of the workers and created more employment opportunities for them. He criticised the federal government-IMF deal, saying that it had badly affected the industrial growth, due to which employment opportunities had shrunk, and thousands of workers had been rendered jobless because of the decrease in the industrial production.

Bilawal congratulated the provincial government for launching the Benazir Mazdoor Card and directed the Sindh chief minister to enhance the benefits of the card.

He claimed that the PPP government during the tenure of President Zardari had strengthened agriculture and industrial sectors. “We had issued Benazir Income Support Card to poor women so that they could meet their needs.”

The CM also addressed the ceremony. He said his government believed in serving the poorest of the poor and vulnerable segments of society, and was committed to providing them their due respect. Shah said that under the 18th amendment, the concurrent legislative list was abolished and all the subjects mentioned in the list, including labour, had been devolved to the provinces.

He added that the Sindh government had enacted numerous laws to protect the rights of the workers. “I am proud to say that the provincial government has enacted 16 labour-friendly laws,” he maintained.

He informed the event that the provincial labour department had organised the first Sindh Labour Tripartite Conference on December 11, 2017, in which one of the recommendations was to ‘universalise social security in Sindh’.

“Based on the recommendations, the Sindh government announced its first labour policy in February 2018,” the CM said, adding that the government also decided that the option of social security would be made universal.

“The scope and coverage of social security will also be extended to all the workers as well as employees, including self-employed, domestic and home-based workers,” Shah announced.

According to the concept of ‘universalisation of social security’, the workers who intended to register themselves with the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (Sessi) and pay contribution of six per cent of the minimum wage fixed by the government, would be issued a ‘Benazir Mazdoor Card’, the CM explained, adding that the workers with the card would be entitled to have benefits of education, health and financial assistance under the social security laws.

The CM said that Sessi had entered into an agreement with the National Database and Registration Authority in September last year for the issuance of a smart card, Benazir Mazdoor Card, to workers.

He stated that in view of the recommendations of the Sindh Labour Tripartite Conference, representation of employers/employees in all the labour-related boards and governing body of Sessi had been increased up to 40 per cent and the representation of the Sindh government had been decreased to 20 per cent.

“Not only this, but industrial tripartite committees have also been constituted for resolving the grievances of employers and workers,” he said.

Shah called for implementation of the 18th Constitutional Amendment in its true letter and spirit as well as immediate devolution of the Workers Welfare Fund and Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) to Sindh.

He urged the federal government to direct the FBR to stop collection of Workers Welfare Fund immediately and transfer the funds collected so far to the Sindh Government.

Labour Minister Ghani said the actual number of workers working in industrial units operating in the province was much higher than the number of registered workers. He vowed to have all the workers registered so that they could get benefit from the Benazir Mazdoor Card.

The PPP chairman distributed Benazir Mazdoor Cards among the workers at the ceremony.