October 15, 2003	Wednesday	Sha'aban 18, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 14: The director of International Labour Organization Office in Islamabad, Johannes Lokollo, while emphasizing the vital role of labour dispute settlement mechanisms in the growth of investment in Pakistan, offered full assistance in the formation of workplace social dialogue institutions here on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the inaugural session of a two-day “National Workshop on Strengthening Conciliation and Mediation Skills” organized jointly by the ILO and the Ministry of Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis. Minister for labour Mian Abdul Sattar Laleka was in the chair.

The objective of the workshop, he said, was to enhance the capability of the conciliators to settle disputes, which would go a long way towards promoting industrial peace in Pakistan. This would also lessen the burden on the National Industrial Relations Commission and labour courts, which today have to deal with an enormous backlog of cases.

One of the most important problems facing Pakistan today, the ILO representatives observed, was being able to reduce poverty and solve unemployment problem. Training the conciliators would go a long way towards creating a favourable climate for investments and employment growth. “Furthermore, conciliation unlike arbitration is a win win situation,” he added.

The workshop was divided into several sessions on case studies of successful conciliation strategies adopted to settle disputes including those relating to minimum wages and labour law reform.

In many countries, he pointed out, greater attention was being paid to preventing disputes through establishment of social dialogue mechanisms at the enterprise level. One of the reasons for less number of disputes in East Asian countries like Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan was the role of this bipartite mechanism at the enterprise level.

The ILO official expressed the hope that the provincial governments would follow up this workshop by organizing training programmes for conciliators and establishing labour-management committees at the enterprise level.

Those who will undergo training in the workshop include 46 officials of federal and provincial governments, 7 representatives of employers and only four representing as many worker unions/federations.

In his presidential remarks, Laleka said harmonious bilateral or worker-employer relations not only promoted a productivity-based work environment but also contributed towards deepening of democratic governance and social, economic and political stability.

Referring to the unfolding competitive environment at the global level, the minister said he saw an important role for social dialogue between all social partners for discussing the modalities of conflict and dispute resolution through the instruments of conciliation and mediation.

It was also important in the context of direct foreign investment to address the chronic unemployment issue, he remarked, adding: “This will only be possible if we pursue labour-friendly policies and provide an enabling environment through conciliation and mediation.”

Earlier, the federal labour secretary, Khawaja Ejaz Sarwar, in his keynote address, stated that absence over the past three or four years of any labour strikes and lock-outs had been a crucial factor in the macroeconomic stability prevailing in the country.

The government, he said, was on the way to developing comprehensive labour laws and policy in conformity with the international labour standards, which ensured maximum labour welfare, while at the same time being conductive to industrial growth.

The Industrial Relations Ordinance 2000 enacted by the present government, he further said, provided “quite a comprehensive and elaborate procedure for dispute settlement and appointment of conciliators”.

With the criticism by labour unions and employer organizations against the new law in mind, the secretary said, “We are open to dialogue with all the stakeholders... in order to arrive at a consensus in case any further changes are required.” The Workshop will conclude on Wednesday.