The Research and Statistics section of Directorate of Labour has no latest data of running and closed factories, industrial and commercial establishments, shops, number of registered labours and trade unions due to shortage of staff and lack of facilities, Business Recorder learnt on Tuesday.
Research and Statistics section of Directorate of Labour has been functioning under the Sindh Labour department. The basic purpose of this section is to compile the data of running and closed factories, industrial, commercial establishments, and number of registered labours.
The offices of Directorate of Labour have been established in Sindh government's barracks situated in front of Sindh assembly building. This section consists of total 7 staff including one Assistant Director, one Statistical officer, one Survey officer, one senior clerk, two stenographers and a peon.
When this scribe visited this section for getting current data of registered factories, business outlets and labours, an officer told with condition of anonymity that data is not up-to-date. He supported this issue with lack of staff and told that there were 17 members of staff about five years ago. At present there are only 7 staff working in this section that's why data is not up-to-date about big and small factories, banks, clubs, hotels, cinemas, shops, public entertainment business houses, number of registered labours etc.
He informed that they had reminded in written and verbally to the concerned authorities for appointments of staff on vacant positions several times but no action had been taken in this regard. He further said that the section has not even a computer, internet and other relevant facilities which are necessary for the work of research and data compilation. We have written many times for giving us said facilities but no efforts had been taken in this regard, he added.
He showed a data book of Labour department, which was published in the year 2000 and told that the department could not publish latest edition of that book despite passage of more than 10 years. The old data book consists of the history of Sindh labour department, its structure with list of officers, their offices, functions, authorities, region -wise data of factories, business outlets, number of labours and many more.
It is pertinent to mention here that there are thousands of factories and millions of other business outlets running in the province. A large number of people have been affiliated with said commercial points as labours but unfortunately Labour department which has the legal mandate to ensure the peace in industries and to work for the rights of labours, has not up-to-date information of labours and registered business outlets of province.