Sindh government has instructed the labour department to strictly ensure implementation of minimum wages of Rs 6,000 to unskilled workers, announced by the federal government, to provide relief to the working class.
The field officers, deputy directors, directors, joint directors etc have been asked to ensure implementation of the decision or else they would be sent home, official sources told Business Recorder on Tuesday. They said that a high-level a meeting of officials of labor department was held recently, presided over by the labor minister. The meeting emphasised the need to take measures to ensure provision of minimum wages to workers.
"We have received a number of complaints by the workers that many industries are not complying with the orders of the government regarding the minimum wages. I have asked the department to take measures in this regard ", Sindh Labor Minister Amir Nawab Khan said. He said that the concerned officials of the labour department were warned to improve their performance for which they would get reward or else go home.
"Sindh is the only province that took a lead in issuing a notification regarding raise in the minimum wages, but unfortunately many industries are not following the directives", he said. Amir Nawab said the Sindh Minimum Wages Board had fixed the minimum wages Rs 6,000 per month for the labourers working in 36 industries, keeping in view the growing price-hike and inflation.
The industries that are bound to pay the minimum wage to workers include auto workshops, and garrages, bidi binding, cement, ceramic, cotton, ginning and pressing, chemical and other chemical industry, construction, cycle, electric appliance, flour milling, food, furniture and wood working, glass, hotels, iron steel and fabricated metal, machine made carpet, machinery, paints and varnish, paper products, petroleum, pharmaceutical, plastic, printing press, readymade garments, rice husking, road transport, rubber, silk/rayon small units and power looms, soap manufacturing, sugar, tannery, textile, tobacco and transport equipment, he added.
To a question about the fixation of wages, the minister said that Sindh Minimum Wages Board had fixed the wages after bargaining among the stakeholders, including labourers, industries owners and the government. The labourers are facing severe financial constraints, as they cannot arrange three meals a day for their families with only Rs 6,000, he said, adding that it was sheer injustice with them that they are not being given even the minimum wages.
After coming into power, the present democratic government raised the minimum wage of a labour from Rs 4,600 to Rs 6,000, he said. He called upon the leaders of trade unions to play their positive role in implementing the decision by assisting the government. He urged union leaders to expose industrialists, who are reluctant to pay the minimum wages.