SIALKOT: Pakistan has been one of the major textile producing and exporting country for over five decades. By now, we should have been a major global provider of skilled and managerial talent to the newly emerging and aspiring developing countries trying to establish themselves in this field. However, the reality is opposite and our own industrial sectors consider the shortage of skilled manpower as big issue as the rising cost of production which affects their global competitiveness as much as the others.
To overcome the skill shortages, many manufacturers have instituted on-the-job training at their factories, Faisal Mehboob Sh, Chairman Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) (North Zone) said in a press statement.
Faisal said that ILO has passed the Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (N0 138) which was ratified by all the member countries including Pakistan. This fundamental convention sets the general minimum age for admission to employment or work at 13 years and general employment at 15 years. The minimum age for hazardous work is 18, although it can be lowered to 16 under strict conditions. However, different countries are following their own stated minimum age for employment/work as mentioned: In Sri Lanka it is 10 years of age, Netherlands 12 years, Denmark 13 years, UK 13 years, India 14 years, Bangladesh 14 years and in China it is 16 years of age.
He showed his concern that it is an alarming situation in Pakistan that children under 18 years old work at restaurants, shops, workshops and most of them are driving rickshaws but cannot enter in the factories where they can develop their skills and provide skilled labours to the industries.
Considering the international conventions, the children of 14 years of age, including girls, to be allowed to work in the soft industry like garment factories. This will solve the issues of skilled labour for those larger industries of Pakistan which can increase exports and earn forex for the country. Specially, the girls can be inducted in those industries as trainee and acquired the required skills by the age of 15 and be a skilled labour for at least 4 - 5 years before they get married, he said.
Faisal said that we are already too late to work on nation-wide skills development programme, which is the only solution to save our cottage industry worldwide in global price competition. Cheep workers and management people shortages will badly damage our industry in the very near future if steps towards skills development centres are not taken at key industrial hubs. In this regard, factories can play role of training institutes with hands on and theoretical training when the children between the ages of 14-18 will be allowed to work at industries.
He said PHMA submitted the same to the concerned government departments to ensure implementation of 14 years age limits requirements in the industry, so our economy could boost and those ailing industries, who were once the main pillars of our economy, can regain that golden era and meet the vision of our government i.e. a self sufficient and economically stronger Pakistan.-PR
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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