A one-day awareness seminar on Adoption of Social Accountability-8000 (SA-8000) standards was held in collaboration with Federal Ministry of Commerce and Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) on Thursday here.
Addressing the seminar Project Director-SA 8000 of Federal Commerce Ministry Rana Muhammad Daniyal highlighted various aspects of adoption of Social Accountability project in detailed.
He said that three main objectives of implementation of the project, which are to enhance export capability of the country, address growing concern about the labour practices in the country and ensure ethical production with elimination of sweat hope in total compliance to all international norms.
The Project Director also covered the nine core standards of SA-8000 comprising child labour, forced labour, health and safety, freedom of association and collective bargaining, discipline, working hours, remuneration and management systems.
Project Director further informed the house about the benefits of Social Standards for business community, consumers and investors. He said these would place Pakistan in competitive protection in global trade, compliance to international customers to declare good working environment, improve productively performance and quality oriented products, including clear and creditable assurance to the ethical production discussions.
Rana Daniyal disclosed that Commerce Ministry will offer 50 percent matching grant to firms and industries in getting SA-8000 certification. The matching Grant will be 50 percent of total cost of consultancy and certification but not exceeding 0.4 million that ever is less. At initial stage 250 companies would be targeted in the life span of the project he added.
In his address of welcome Senior Vice President SCCI Ziaullah Mirza said that launching of Social Accountability Project by the Federal Commerce Ministry is really an encouraging step towards export promotion.
The amount of Rs 04 million announced by the government as subsidy to individual industrial units for consultancy and certification services is also a substantial support from the government which will positively stimulate the industrialists in taking up the compliance of SA-8000 Social Accountability Standards, he said.
It is pertinent to mention that in late nineties the government took up the project of ISO-9000 and announced the subsidy of Rs 0.2 million for its certification. It is heartening to note that up to 2000, more than 400 industrial units of Sialkot got ISO-9000 certification and applied for subsidy announced by the government, he added.
Zia Mirza further said that the Ministry of Science adopted very complicated procedure for the approval of subsidy grant adding that surprising to note that members have submitted their requisite documents many times for the release of their subsidy amount but cases of 239 companies of Sialkot are laying pending with the Ministry.