Despite the claims to have strong commitment to promote social justice and ensure all rights of labours enshrined in Constitution of Pakistan and international conventions by the democratic governments, four labour policies out of the total five were given by military regime.
In order to protect and ensure rights of labours under the Constitution and relevant international charters, the need to evolve comprehensive labour policy is imperative, which creates a harmonious working relationship between labour and employers for promoting productivity, competitiveness and industrial growth.
Since independence, the workforce is being deprived of their due rights. The five labour policies announced with huge claims did not produce the desired results/
At the time of partition, the law on the statute book to regulate relations between employers and employees was the Industrial Dispute Act, 1947. This Act remain intact till the promulgation of the Industrial Dispute Ordinance 1959 (IDO) by General Ayub Khan.
The next piece of legislation was the West Pakistan Industrial Disputes Ordinance 1968 that repealed the IDO. The said legislation was replaced within a short time with the Industrial Relations Ordinance 1969 (IRO). Landmark changes in industrial relations system were made after the announcement of third Labour Policy in 1969.
This policy resulted in legislation guaranteeing freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining in accordance with ILO Conventions 87 and 98 ratified by Pakistan.
Under the policy various legislation's including minimum wage of workers and labour, extension in the scope of labour laws, enactment of laws relating to employees old-age benefits, workers children education, introduction of statutory bonus, group insurance schemes and establishment of National Industrial Relations Commission to redress workers grievances were made.
But it was generally perceived by employers that the labour policies of 1969 and 1972 were heavily tilted in favour of labours. Consequently, industrial relations was disturbed. Industrial relations had become worsens in 70s, during which management remained indulged in endless disputes and conflicts over pay and working conditions with labours.
The concept of employers and employees working together in close co-operation to ensure productivity, profitability and growth of businesses and security of employment was largely non-existent in said period causing strikes, go-slows and lockouts at several industrial units.
There was no realisation that job security and appropriate wages were critically dependent on profitability and continued competitiveness of businesses.
Consequently, the entrepreneur, labour and economy of the country have suffered greatly, out of them labour was most effected segment on account of increasing unemployment, declining wages, contract employment to maintain profits by public and private sectors.
In IRO 2002, the rights of workers were denied and there is a need to amend the Ordinance in favour of workforce. In his first speech, Prime Minister, Yousuf Raza Gilani has announced to abrogate Industrial Relation Ordinance (IRO) 2002, which protect the rights of employers rather than employees, and announced to re-promulgate IRO 1969 for the protection of labour rights.
The decision was lauded but the IRO 1969 is heavily tilted in favour of labour.
When some prominent lawyers were asked as how IRO 1969 could be more beneficial for labours, they said that IRO should support self-regulation and peaceful resolution of disputes. They said that regulatory authority of government should only be exercised when bilateral mechanisms failed to resolve disputes. They added that the labour laws should be consolidated and simplified, which could easily be understood by labours. They said that revolutionary changes should be made in structural legislative to provide speedy justice in the labour sector.
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