*CM Shahbaz inaugurates First South Asia Labour Conference
Pakistan can never achieve progress and prosperity without empowering labourers, said Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif while addressing the inaugural ceremony of the First South Asia Labour Conference 2014 at a local hotel on Thursday. He said time has come to take effective measures for the welfare of labourers as it will help in development of trade, agriculture and industrial sectors.
He said Pakistan can achieve its rightful place in the comity of nations through honesty and hard work, adding that holding of first the South Asia Labour Conference 2014 in the provincial capital is a good omen, and will help in formulating an effective policy for the betterment of labourers.
Punjab Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, European Union delegation head and Ambassador Lars Gunnar Wigemark, the ILO director, Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development federal secretary and provincial secretary labour addressed the conference.
Labour ministers of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, High Commissioners of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, delegates of South Asian countries, European Union, high level delegates of the ILO, provincial ministers, assembly members, office-bearers of various chambers of Punjab, labour leaders, industrialists and a large number of businessmen were present on the occasion.
Shahbaz Sharif said that it is an honour to host the 1st South Asia Labour Conference in Lahore with the cooperation of the International Labour Organisation, federal government and South Asian countries, which will help in exchanging and learning from mutual experiences and formulating concrete suggestions and recommendations for evolving an effective policy for the welfare of labourers.
He said there is a need to give due respect to labourers and workers through empowering them and providing education and health facilities to their children. He said that the Punjab government has taken revolutionary steps for the welfare of labourers, but much is still to be done.
The chief minister said the Punjab government has provided quality, affordable and speedy transport facility to labourers and the common man by completing splendid the Metro Bus project within a record time of 11 months and more than one hundred and fifty thousand passengers are now benefitting from this service.
