Association of Network for Community Empowerment (ANCE) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Pakistan on Friday distributed social security cards among brick kiln workers for free health, education, marriage grants and other services to the workers and their families.
A seminar on "Legal Empowerment of Brick-kiln workers through social protection services" was also arranged by both organisation on the same day. D'Ovidio said that he arrived in Pakistan in June 2011 and that was his first field visit to community level work. "I have chosen to visit you here on your brick kilns to show my solidarity with all of you."
He further said under the ILO project, implemented by their partner NGO ANCE for the welfare of brick kiln workers various interventions have been implemented here. These include health screening of 175 workers, education for children, literacy for adult workers, computerised national identity cards for 984 people and 109 birth certificates.
ILO Pakistan director said that for the first time, the project had helped 150 women and men workers by issuing Social Security Cards from the Punjab Employee Social Security Institute (PESSI). He said as model demonstration, the monthly fee for social security cards for workers have been paid by the ILO project. The purpose was to help demonstrate to the employers various social security benefits that their workers would receive from the PESSI. However, now it was the time for the brick kiln employers to start paying this nominal fee for their workers. "I can assure the employers, that following legal responsibility, they would create a great deal of good will among the workers and their productivity will also increase."
Punjab Employee Social Security Institute (PESSI) Director Syed Infal Ahmed said that a fund had been established with the help of ILO and initially launched in Lahore and Kasur cities and it would continue until 2014 on pilot project basis. He said this social security card would not only cover a labour but also his family members. He said a PESSI mobile health van would also provide healthcare facilities to the brick-kiln workers at their doorsteps.
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Director Khaild Mehmood said on ILO and ANCE under BISP programme monthly Rs 1000 funds has been approved for around 300 brick-kiln workers besides annual free medical treatment of up to Rs 25000 and state life insurance cover of Rs 100,000.
Deputy Director Nadra Rana Babur Sher said earlier these workers were denied many facilities because they didn't bother to get their Nadra ID cards. He said mobile vans were sent to register these workers and issue them ID cards, which opened doors of other facilities for them. He said they had also relaxed certain rules for these workers like unavailability of birth certificates and problems in thumb impression. "We have prepared their cards even without demanding any kind of documentation and accepted poor results of thumb impression keeping in view nature of their job," he added.
President ANCE Raja Abbas Ali thanked the brick-kiln owners for providing them a platform to resolve problems of workers. Country Director ILO Pakistan, Francesco d'Ovidio, Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Director Khaild Mehmood, Rana Babur Sher from Nadra, Pakistan Labour Front Secretary General Nazir Shehzad, three brick-kiln employers and a large number of men and women workers and their children were present on the occasion.
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