The Provincial Directorate of Labour has decided to safeguard labour rights in collaboration with the Minimum Wage Board to streamline wages distribution process as per labour laws.
Labour Director Kashif Gulzar told Business Recorder here on Thursday that department of labour had finalised a comprehensive strategy to protect labour rights and also planned to adopt other positive measures, which would help to provide the workers a healthy working environment. At present they are being deprived of a better environment in numerous industries, he added.
When asked how it would be helpful to protect labour rights, he responded that department was considering labour wages and also designed a layout, which would be implemented by joint efforts of Department of Labour and Minimum Wage Board.
"Both departments have chalked out a plan to arrange seminars at labour's work places in first phase across the province, which will raise awareness among them about their rights and responsibilities", he added.
He said that department had also approved a proposal to facilitate urban labours through website, adding that this website would be helpful for labours, labour unions and also for employers.
Answering a query, he admitted that this website would be accessed by limited number of workers due to low illiteracy rate in Pakistan; therefore, department was considering to design it in easiest way to make it accessible and also provide detailed information about labour laws in Urdu and English languages respectively.
He further said that department had planned to pay surprise visits in factories and other work places with officials of minimum wage board in second phase.
"Effective implementation of second phase is interconnected with the successful execution of first phase because labours could only be supportive for the department on surprise visit, if they are aware of their rights and working responsibilities", he added.
It may be mentioned that minimum wages of the workers had been finalised at Rs 4600 and wage board had issued directives on minimum wages of the workers employed in 36 different following industries as per directive of the government of Sindh.
Auto work shop and garages, bidi binding industry, brick kiln industry, building industry, cement industry, ceramic industry, cotton ginning and processing industry, chemical and other chemical industry, construction industry, cycle industry, electric appliance industry, flour milling industry, food industry, furniture and wood working industry, glass industry, hotel industry, iron steel and fabricated metal industry, machine made carpet industry, machinery industry, paints and varnish industry, paper product industry, petroleum industry pharmaceutical industry, plastic husking industry, printing press industry, ready industry, silk and rayon small units and power loom industry, soap manufacturing industry, sugar industry, tannery industry, textile industry, tobacco industry and transport equipment industry have been issued directives by minimum wage board.