At least 13 labour laws are in the final phase of being legislated in the province of Sindh. It will be the first province to have a specific legislation on health and safety which will set the guidelines for the stakeholders to concentrate on developing a health and safety culture conducive to industrial growth.
Abdul Rasheed Solangi, Secretary Labour, government of Sindh, stated this while addressing the 11th Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) OSH&E award ceremony held at a local hotel.
The secretary also announced that a minister’s task force under chairmanship of director labour had been formed for implementation of labour laws for which he called for cooperation from the stakeholders. The secretary also informed that a disaster response mechanism was being developed in the province of Sindh to prevent loss and damages during injuries and accidents arising in industrial areas due to accidents and emergencies.
ILO Country Director Ms Ingrid Christensen emphasised on the role of tripartite constituents in strengthening OSH&E efforts which were multidimensional and would need a collaborative approach. She emphasised on the role of OSH management systems as a preventive tool to secure the life and dignity of workers. Promotion of OSH must be integral component of the strategies to facilitate productive employment and decent work.
Zahoor Awan, Secretary General, Pakistan Workers Federation, in his speech termed health and safety as a common agenda of employers and workers and called upon the government to also take due notice of the situation prevailing in construction and other sectors where much was required to be done for improving the health and safety culture.
Earlier, Mr Khawaja Muhammad Nauman, President Employers’ Federation of Pakistan, in his welcome address gave a detailed account of the initiatives taken by the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan during the last 11 years for inspiring business to develop safety network on security culture in the businesses enterprises. He also announced the launching of the Urdu version of OSH&E training from May 2016.
Arif Elahi, Chairman National Shipping Corporation, lauded the efforts of EFP in taking up the cause of progressive employers and workers for promoting initiatives like safety and health.
A panel discussion also followed the meeting which was addressed by Ashraf Ali Naqvi, Joint Director Labour, Mr Saghir Bukhari, Senior Programme Officer ILO, Mr Karamat Ali, Director PILER, Dr Mustaghis- r-Rahman, Head of Management Science of Bahria University and Ms Nabila Faisal of Hinopak. The session was moderated by Mr Tahir Baig Barlas who also explained the salient features of the Urdu version of the OSH&E training programme earlier launched by the president in his speech.
Later the chief guest distributed awards among the best practicing companies in OSH&E. First, second and third prizes were given in the four sectors whereas three trophies were given to the overall winners. The top three awards were won by Pak Arab Refinery, Pakistan Refinery Limited and K-Electric.