KARACHI: Globalisation termed a stimulus for growth
KARACHI, June 1: Fighting unemployment and poverty through industrialisation and agricultural modernisation is a must for attaining socioeconomic growth. This was stated by A R. Abid, Joint Secretary (HRD) Labour and Manpower Division, while speaking at a two-day moot on “Fair Globalisation – Its Challenges & Protection for Workers” organised here by the National Institute of Labour Administration Training in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Mr Abid said the whirlwind globalisation was affecting economic and social barriers resulting in erosion of problems and posing challenges to economy and business environment. “It is, therefore, worth looking into various aspects of global economy, technology, environment and standards showing their impact on employment, relations and working conditions in Pakistan’s perspective,” he added.
He said traditional balance in labour and capital intensity was upset by constant introduction of new skill levels by national and multinational companies.One serious challenge of globalisation is in the field of standards. ILO conventions and recommendations which together form International Labour Code were globally seen as a device to channel behaviour in labour market both within and across nations.
A. R. Abid said globalisation was another name of the ‘new socioeconomic world order’ in which our children would have to grow. “It depends on us how we use our freedom to choose our response and ensure an era of growth and happiness for our next generations.”
Syed Ghayoorul Hassan, Director NILAT, said globalisation had brought some profound changes in work and in working people’s life. On the positive side, he said, it had brought job opportunities to many countries where people really needed them. In manufacturing sector, these jobs had gone mostly to women, he noted.
He said challenge of globalisation was not going to stop expansion of global markets but exploring institutions and formulating rules for stronger governance at every level to benefit people, rather exploiting them. He felt that for working people across the world, challenge of globalisation was to globalise their approach. He asked labour unions to build solidarity links across borders to share information and strategies.
Manzoor Khaliq, ILO’s Senior Programme Officer, said ILO believed that decent work was good option for working people. “Organising global and national policies to create opportunities for decent work makes sense for everyone,” he said, and called for private initiatives and investment from self-employment to foreign investment.
He said ILO’s goal of “Decent Work for All” was an agreed mission of governments of many countries, as well as trade unions.
Ehsanullah Khan, Chairman of the Skill Development Council, S. H. A Bukhari, a former director general of NILAT, U.R. Usmani, Shafiq Ghouri, Shoukat Ali and F. K. Siddiqi also spoke.—PPI
