KARACHI, Jan 3: The Federal Ministry of Labour and Manpower has finalized the draft of revised industrial relations ordinance and submitted to the cabinet for approval.

“We have duly accommodated your proposals in new IRO draft. Hopefully, it would soon be okayed by the cabinet ,” said the Federal Minister for Labour, Manpower and Overseas, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, while presiding over a meeting with a representative delegation of Workers Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan (WEBCOP) here at the headquarters of Employees Old-age Benefits Institution (EOBI) on Tuesday. Chairman EOBI Brig Akhtar Zamin was also present.

The 16-member delegation of WEBCOP included its Central Chairman, Ahsanullah Khan, Central Additional Secretary-General U.R. Usmani, Chairman WEBCOP-Sindh, Mian Zahid Hussain, Additional Secretary-General A.H. Haidri, Members WEBCOP-Central, F.K. Siddiqui, Majyed Aziz, Syed Tanweer Mohammed, Nazim F. Haji.

Those who represented workers in this delegation were vice-chairperson WEBCOP-Central, Kaneez Fatima, Secretary-General WEBCOP-Central Prof Shafi Malik, vice-chairman WEBCOP-Sindh Saleem Raza, Secretary-General WEBCOP-Sindh, Qamarul Hassan, Secretary-General WEBCOP-Balochistan, Khalilur Rehman and others.

The federal minister said that the ministry was very much concerned about guarding the workers’ interests along with ensuring industrial growth in the country.

“Workers deserve more attention of the government as they are generally the neglected party,” he said.

Mr Khan said that the government wanted to ensure proper distribution of workers participation fund to workers as there were no checks in this regard.

He said that the ministry wanted to move ahead through consultation with all the stakeholders for practical policies and their effective implementation.

The minister appreciated the positive and accommodating approach of the WEBCOP and assured them that their recommendations would be given due weight in policy formulation.

On the WEBCOP’s demand, the minister said a meeting on national level between employees and employers representatives, and the concerned government officials and representatives would be held at Islamabad in next couple of weeks to discuss labour issues in detail for better future plans.

“We are also thinking over to hold national labour conference,” he added.

The WEBCOP delegation called for genuine nominations of employees and employers on the board of workers welfare fund and its proper composition – 40 per cent from employees, 40 per cent from employers and 20 per cent from the government.

They also advocated for equal distribution of workers participation fund amongst all the employees of the particular entrepreneur as its profit was the result of their collective efforts. Five percent of profit of an industry was being allocated to this fund.

WEBCOP chairman Ahsanullah Khan demanded the revival of Rs10 million fund provided by the government to five skill development councils per annum, Rs2 million for each council. One council operated in each province and one in Islamabad.

He also called for restructuring of vocational training centres in the country and a unified skill development policy.

He said that the WEBCOP was going to launch its Azad Jammu and Kashmir chapter which would specially look after the shattered industries there.—APP