Punjab Labour Minister Ashraf Sohna has said that he had recommended several times to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pass necessary legislation through the provincial assembly to pave the way for implementation of the minimum wages of Rs 7,000 per month as announced by the Prime Minister but his proposals had been turned down by the Chief Minister.
He said that his ministry failed to implement the law pertaining to minimum wage of Rs 7,000 per month and protect the rights of workers in the private industrial sector due to the government's labour policy. Addressing a press conference at Lahore Press Club on Thursday, he claimed that absence of labour laws' implementation in the industry and business side is creating frustration and extremism among the working classes.
Sohna, who is a PPP minister in the Punjab coalition government, said that former President General Pervez Musharraf and Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi had adopted an anti-labour policy. He has recommended several times to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to pass necessary legislation through the provincial assembly to pave the way for implementation of the minimum wages of Rs 7,000 per month as announced by the Prime Minister but his proposals had been turned down by the Chief Minister, Sohna lamented.