Whereas the premier had announced raise of Rs 1,000 in wages, more than 25 million labourers in Sindh have been left at the mercy of lethargic attitude of the authorities concerned as no progress has been made yet to notify the enhanced wages.
Interestingly, the Sindh’s authorities are still hopeful that millions of labourers would get their enhanced wages and outstanding dues in few days from the industrialists, Pakistan Today has learnt.
Former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, on the occasion of International Labour Day on May 2012, had announced an increase of at least Rs 1,000 in minimum wages of the labourers in a move to facilitate them in ever-increasing price-hike.
After the announcement, the Punjab government fixed minimum wages at Rs 9,000 while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan at Rs 8,000 per month. However, the Sindh government could not fix the wages despite passage of four months that reflects the commitment of authorities towards welfare of already poverty-stricken labourers.
More than 25 million labourers and their dependents are going through serious financial problems while the authorities seem least concerned about the wages of labourers.
Sources told Pakistan Today that Minimum Wages Board had held a meeting on July to fix the minimum wages, however, the decision could not be made due to some differences among the officials.
Interestingly, another meeting has been summoned for August 28 (today) that would make a final decision for the raise in minimum wages to bring it at par with the prime minister’s earlier announcement, they said.
The Sindh Minimum Wages Board was established in 1974 in terms of Minimum Wages Ordinance 1961. The board is an attached office of the provincial labor department and its jurisdiction extends to the entire province. The board is a tripartite body having representation of employers, workers and the government.
The board is headed by a chairman Pervez Ahmed Junejo. Amjadullah Khan as member of the board represents its employers while Khalilur Rehman represents workers and Ahsanullah Orakzai is an independent member of the board.
Sources said the delay has been caused just due to lethargic attitude of the labor department. There are three categories of workforce – skilled, unskilled and highly skilled – and these labourers are working in Sindh’s 44 categories of industries.
The categories are auto workshop and garages, binding industry, bus-body building industry, cement industry, ceramic industry, cotton ginning pressing industry, chemical and other chemical industry, construction industry, cycle industry, electric and wood industry, flour milling industry, food industry, furniture and fabricated metal industry, machine-made carpet industry, machinery industry, paints and varnish industry, paper product industry, petroleum industry, readymade garments industry, rice husking industry, road transport industry, rubber industry, silk/rayon small units and power looms industry, soap manufacturing industry, sugar industry, tannery industry, textile tobacco industry, transport equipment industry, beverage industry, hosiery industry, leather goods and footwear industry and daily products industry.
Labour Party Pakistan central secretary Nasir Mansoor told Pakistan Today that labourers were facing difficult time here in the country. There are more than 50 million labourers in the country out of which 65 percent are alone in Sindh province, he said.
Around 94 percent labourers are declined letters, contracts, social and medical facilities by the industrialists, he said, adding the delay by the Sindh government was tantamount to rubbing salt on wounds of labourers. There is no implementation on the minimum wages of Rs 7,000 as the labouers are getting different wages and demand the government to play its role in implementing the minimum wages for the labourers.
When contacted, Sindh Minister for Labour Amir Nawab Khan told Pakistan Today that he took his personal interest and got the summary approved regarding raise in minimum wages from the chief minister. “We will make all out efforts to get the labourers outstanding dues from the industrialist as earlier as possible after the notification of the wages”, he added.
The minister further said a meeting would be held today after which a notification would be issued by the labour department.
