SIALKOT, July 9: Only efficient enterprises will be able to survive on the international scene with commitment to satisfy the needs of customers.

These views were expressed by speakers at the conclusion of a two-day workshop on South Asia Vietnam Project on Friday at the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI). The workshop was organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Prominent among the speakers were: Rajen Mehlotra, SP Ahn and Jajoon Coue (ILO, India), Punjab WEBCOP convener Khalid Mehmood Randha, labour leader Mian Abdul Shakoor, Sialkot ILO project manager Mian Muhammad Binyameen and SCCI acting president Zahid Latif Malik.

The speakers underlined the need of promoting the friendly bilateral relations between the employers and the employees for the development of Sialkot's export-oriented cottage industry, enabling them to meet the future challenges of the WTO.

ILO officials were of the view that the economic and social problems of industrial workers could only be solved through the promotion of consensus building and democratic involvement of the stake-holders.

They said the maxim of the "survival of the fittest" could be applied to the field of business due to tough competition in the global market. Labour leader Mian Abdul Shakoor said the concept of social dialogue was to understand the needs, aspirations and interests of all stake-holders.

He said the movement could not be a success without an interaction between the management and employees. Later, the ILO officials also visited leading industrial units in Sialkot and lauded the standard of craftsmanship.