April 29, 2008	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 22, 1429

LAHORE, April 28: Punjab Labour Minister Muhammad Ashraf Sohna says Rs66 billion are lying unutilised in the workers welfare fund at Islamabad due to anti-labour attitude of the previous government.

He was speaking at a World Health and Safety Day meeting organised by the Pakistan Workers Federation at the Labour Hall here on Monday with Chaudhry Talib Nawaz in the chair.

The minister said the provincial governments utilised only 33 per cent funds released from the workers fund by the federal government during the past five years because they had no interest in the welfare of labourers. The present government would now utilise funds for providing health and education facilities to workers and their families.

The government would also ensure that the problems being faced by workers were solved promptly so that they were not compelled to stage demonstrations for the acceptance of their demands.

International programme analyst, ILO office, Islamabad, Margaret Reade Rounds said 2.2 million people died every year due to work-related accidents and illnesses, more than 270 million were injured resulting in at least three-day absence from work and an estimated 160 million new people suffered from work-related illnesses. The cost of work-related accidents and illnesses to global economy was four per cent of the GDP, equivalent to 20 times all official development aid put together.

She said accidents were not a part of a job and experience had shown that most of the accidents were preventable.

The ILO had listed risk management techniques which identified, anticipated and assessed hazards and risks. Sound prevention practices needed to be implemented by governments, employers and workers at all levels.

She said the ILO continued to encourage the governments, employers and workers to apply internationally agreed labour standards as a primary tool for reducing the work-related accidents.

Employers Federation of Pakistan representative Mian Tajammal Husain said new chemicals and automatic machinery and equipment were causing accidents at work despite all precautionary measures. The employers wanted to take all possible measures for prevention of accidents at places of work because they were deprived of the services of experienced workers as a result.

Pakistan Electric Power Company labour welfare director Shabbir Ahmed said more than 100 Wapda workers lost their lives as a result of accidents at work every year. The workers had been directed not to work without safety equipment because their lives were invaluable.

PWF secretary-general Khurshid Ahmed said the number of deaths as a result of accidents at work every year had exceeded the World War-II death toll.

He said an independent inspection machinery was necessary for proper enforcement of labour and safety laws but former provincial governments in Sindh and Punjab had suspended labour inspections under the industrial policy and given a free hand to employers to flout laws with impunity.

He said the government should also make arrangements for training the workers in prevention of accidents at work.

Punjab Muttahida Labour Federation President Altaf Baloch called upon the minister to ensure repeal of amendments to labour laws made by the previous regime for increasing the working duration from eight to 12 hours a day and making women work till 10pm.