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| December 19, 2006 | Tuesday | Ziqa'ad 27, 1427 |
Senators dissatisfied with labour ministry’s working
ISLAMABAD, Dec 18: Senate Standing Committee on Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis has expressed its dissatisfaction over the performance of the labour ministry, particularly with regard to declining manpower export and consequent decrease in foreign exchange earning.
“Dwindling manpower export is a grim reminder to heed the alarm bells and embark upon a disaster control strategy immediately,” it observed during its meeting at the Parliament House on Monday.
The committee also called for an enhanced role of the country’s ambassador, high commissioner and labour attaches abroad not only in exploring new avenues for manpower export but also to improve the plight of the Pakistani workers there.
The committee members observed that labour attaches were just not coming up to the expectations and there was a need to jolt them out of their deep slumber.
It directed that people from the private sector and the country’s premier chambers of commerce and industry be included in the task force constituted by the ministry to identify the ills.
“A proactive and aggressive marketing strategy is needed to increase the manpower export to the Gulf, Middle East and Far East,” it felt.
“Conduct market surveys, identify traders wherein most people are required and provide proper training and enhance the level of skills of workers to compete internationally,” the committee directed.
It also expressed its concern over increasing incidence of human-trafficking and fleecing by some overseas employment promoters.
“Highly misleading advertisements are appearing in the newspapers almost daily, which mostly go unchecked. In a country where literacy levels are low, people are falling rapidly into the traps laid by unscrupulous elements,” it maintained.
The committee underlined the need for greater coordination between the ministries of labour, foreign affairs and interior to improve the overall situation with regard to export of manpower and welfare of workers.
Senator Enver Baig had especially drawn the attention of the committee towards a travel advisory issued by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs against travelling to Pakistan for its citizens in October this year and wanted the foreign ministry to take up the matter with the Korean government.
Similarly, he said a complete list of human traffickers arrested so far be published along with their names, addresses and other relevant details so that people could be careful in dealing with them in future.
The committee members felt that the labour minister should himself lead delegations comprising OEPs to the Middle East and other regions of the world which could be potentially targeted for manpower export and he must take along people from perspective chambers of commerce and industry who were better equipped to gauge the situation and devise strategies themselves.
They observed that the processing fee and other charges being taken from the workers were rather too high and the ministry should try to rationalise them in light of conditions prevailing in the country.
The labour secretary apprised the committee of the steps being taken by the ministry to teach the basics of Korean language to Pakistani workers to be sent to Korea and to improve their skills level. — Online
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