Provincial Minister for Labour and Human Resource Raja Ashfaq Sarwar has constituted two high-rank committees to review different aspects for upgrading brick kiln industry of Punjab, introducing latest technology alongwith welfare of brick kiln workers, ensuring their social security rights, registration for healthcare and other benefits.
These committees were formed during a meeting of Brick Kiln Owners Association’s 15-member delegation led by its President Shoib Khan Niazi and General Secretary Mehr Abdul Haq with Labour Minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar at Punjab Employees Social Security Institutes (PESSI). Director General Labour Muhammad Saleem Hussain and DG Social Security Rana Muhammad Hanif will lead these two committees separately. The committee led by DG Labour Welfare will suggest proposals for upgradation and capacity-building of brick kilns of the province, encouraging latest technology of machine made bricks so as to minimise concept of child labour while other committees in convener-ship of DG Social Security will ensure different schemes to register all the brick kiln labours with PESSI. The committees will take necessary measures, in collaboration with two representatives each from brick kiln owners and workers to eradicate child and bonded labour, discouraging “Paishgi System” and exploitation of workers. Minister Labour Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said that brick kilns as an industry are playing pivotal role to strengthen building infrastructure economy of all province. The Punjab government is taking all important measures to uplift the living standard of labour community including brick kiln workers. He further said that children of brick kiln workers are being enrolled in government schools to eradicate child labour, registration of all the brick kilns in the province has been completed and labours are being motivated to make their CNIC so as to enable and bring them in PESSI facilities coverage. The brick kiln owners association delegation made Minister Labour aware of their problems and also ensured their complete support for redressal of labours’ grievances.
