Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has constituted a committee to oversee the implementation of Sindh Minimum Wages Act. Sindh Secretary Labor and Human Resources Department Abdul Rasheed Solangi said that the committee would function under his supervision, as the CM had tasked him to make efforts towards ensuring effective implementation of the law.
He said this while speaking as a chief guest at one of the sessions of 'National Industrial Relations and Provincial Tripartite Labour Convention on Post Devolution Labour Law Reforms and their impact on business sustainability'. He said that after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, the subject of labour had been devolved to provinces. The Provincial Assembly had already passed 'Sindh Minimum Wages Bill 2015' to fix labourers' remuneration, special relief allowances and assess their cost of living, he added.
"We have received a number of complaints from the private sector employees, particularly, from security companies that they are being paid less salaries against their services. Hundreds of cases of similar nature have been registered in the Labour Courts," he said adding that the provincial government had also requested the interior ministry to share details of private companies operating in the country.
"We are making efforts towards ensuring minimum wage of Rs 13,000 per month in the province. In this regard, we have approached the presidents of trade bodies, including, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to ask their members to ensure implementation of the minimum wages act in their respective companies/factories/organisations. He said that certain amendments had been made to different labour and industry related acts, which would likely to be tabled in the provincial assembly in coming sessions. The acts had already been sent to the Chief Minister, he added. The two-day event was organised by Employers' Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Hailing the efforts of the event organisers, he said that the Sindh government would certainly consider and implement the recommendations of this mega convention. "It is the responsibility of the labour department to promote industrialisation, welfare of working force and its capacity enhancement through training and development and observance of labour laws and rules in the province,' he added. The secretary also highlighted a number of measures his department had taken to promote health and education and training programs in the province.
Faseeh-ul-Kareem Siddiqui, Secretary General, EFP, stressed the need of consumer-based and consistent labour policy to heal the sufferings of workers in the country. He deplored that despite 18th Amendment, "we remained unable to form an effective labour policy."
He advised to create an environment of social dialogue, particularly on the issues of child labour, home-based labour and women issues. "The aim of this event is to provide a platform for the stakeholders to discuss the issues and challenges confronting the future growth of business. This would also help develop a labour strategy for economic growth," he added.
He appreciated the Sindh government for promulgating labour and industry-related laws with the consultation of all stakeholders. He said that the implementation of these laws was the biggest challenge for all provinces. Ingrid Christensen, ILO Director, Country Office Islamabad, Secretary Labor KPK, Syed Alamgir Shah and others also spoke on the occasion.