The National Tripartite Labour Conference will be held in Islamabad on Monday to consider problems of employers and the employees. Leaders of Pakistan Workers Confederation, Pakistan Workers Federation, All Pakistan Trade Unions Federation, Mutehida Labour Federation, National Trade Union Federation and Organisation of Employees of Banks and Financial Institutions met here on Friday and formulated their recommendations for the conference.
Later addressing a news conference, PWC leaders Muhammad Yaqoob, Khurshid Ahmad and others urged the government to get enforced the national security of men and material for safety of human lives and adopt "National Economic Self Reliance Policy" and develop national infrastructure like electricity, gas communication and develop national human capital and promote appropriate technology to overcome the massive unemployment.
They said the high cost of infrastructure and oil prices and huge power and gas load shedding have been adding fire to fuel resulting closure of thousands of mills by making its workers jobless and has been proving social atom bomb in the society.
They regretted that whereas the prices of oil in international markets have been decreased 3/4th in recent months while no relief has been provided to the national industries and public and cost of transportation is still exorbitant as it was before.
They further demanded that government to fulfil its constitutional obligations under the guaranteed rights , ILO conventions, banking companies ordinance, and workmen compensation act 1934,
The workers representatives urged the government to introduce agrarian reforms and give land to landless peasants and not to accept unjust conditionally imposed by IMF, which require reduction of expenditure on public infrastructure, withdrawal of subsidies and enhancement of interest rate, which would further aggravate the economic and financial crisis in the country.
They further called upon the government to ensure the payment of lawful dues of workers including wages gratuity, pension in accordance with ILO convention by establishing Secured Fund for these lawful dues.
They demanded of the government to raise the wages of workers commensurate with price hike as well as restoration of selection grade and move over in the national pay scales and allow up gradation to technical categories employed in the public sector alike ministerial staff. They said that they would raise these issues in the Tripartite Labour Conference in Islamabad on Monday.