PESHAWAR, May 13: The federal government is planning to increase the total working hours for industrial workers from 60 to 74 hours a week, according to an official source.

The four provincial governments were directed to furnish their comments over the decision which was aimed at improving the overall national productivity and achieving competitiveness in international markets, the source said.

He said a recommendation of the Pakistan Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) was also behind the move, which took the matter up time and again.

Irrespective of workers’ expected outrage over the decision, the FPCCI had argued that working hours in the US, Malaysia, Taiwan and other countries ranged from 74 to 80 hours.

Pakistan had suffered a setback at international level due to dwindling national output, the source quoted the FPCCI as saying.

The source further said that the FPCCI had attributed less working hours of labour as one of the factors causing a drop in the overall production.

To convince the government, traders’ representatives reportedly told a recent meeting that they were unable to compete in the national market due to less working hours.

“The FPCCI has asked the government to increase by 10 hours a week for the workers,” he said.

The official said that the government had asked the Federal Ministry for Overseas Pakistanis to prepare a feasibility of the programme.

“Traders’ representatives say that local industrial units ran three shifts of eight hours, whereas in developing countries labourers work 10 hours in two shifts in manufacturing units,” the official said.

The official didn’t elaborate whether wages of the workers would also be raised if a decision was taken.