KARACHI: Amid a noisy protest by lawmakers belonging to the opposition parties in the Sindh Assembly, the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party on Monday managed to adopt a government bill pertaining to payment of wages to government and private sector employees with a majority vote.

The Sindh Payment of Wages Bill, 2015 triggered a strong protest by the opposition Muttahida Qaumi Movement, which wanted the government to take the federal government into confidence before this legislation.

At one point, the lawmakers belonging to the MQM, PML-Functional, PML-N and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf left their seats and gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum and shouted slogans against the attitude of the treasury.

But the rumpus did not affect Sindh Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nisar Khuhro, who read the bill clause by clause with some amendments. He pointed out that the PPP strength in the house was 42 compared to 30 opposition lawmakers.

The chair, Deputy Speaker Syeda Shehla Raza, put it to the house to vote. Amid shouts of “no, no” by the opposition, the bill was passed by the treasury lawmakers with a voice vote.

There are 28 clauses in the bill and in the preamble the word “industry” has been substituted with “factories, industrial and commercial establishments. “Departmental store” has also been inserted in one of the clauses with the word “cinema or theatre”.

The bill said that in order to regulate the payment of wages to workers working within the jurisdiction of Sindh, it was expedient to enact a law.

One of the clauses of the bill was passed in the Friday session, but on Monday the treasury adopted the whole bill in its original position by recalling the said clause.

A clause stated that no officer or magistrate below the rank of BPS-18 would hear and decide any specified area claims arising out of deductions from the wages, non-payment of dues, relating to provident fund or gratuity payable under any law.

Later, Leader of the Opposition Khwaja Izharul Hasan of the MQM explained the reason for opposing the bill.

He told reporters outside the assembly hall that the PPP had made the 18th Amendment to the Constitution a tool to ‘mint money’ as with the passage of the bill it got powers to get its loyalists appointed in federal institutions like Pakistan Railways, Pakistan International Airlines, etc as grade-18 officers.

He said that no one had read the bill as its Clause 2 was passed after a thorough study but a phone call from Islamabad forced the PPP to change its mind.

Earlier, Mr Khuhro told the house that the bill in its present form was enforced in 1936 and continued as the federal law and now there was a need to adopt this bill.

He said that after 18th Amendment the department of labour was devolved to the provinces and it was necessary to safeguard the laws of the people of Sindh in the federal institutions working in the province.

He strongly criticised the MQM for opposing the bill and said that their protest was in reaction of Sunday’s successful show of strength by the Pak Sarzameen Party as they were finding them ‘helpless’.

Mr Khuhro said that the MQM always waited for “signals” from certain quarters but this time they were getting none.

Addressing the chair, the minister said that he wanted to request the house to recall Clause 2 of the Sindh Payment of Wages Bill, which was passed with a consensus amendment on Friday, for further consideration.

He said that he had consulted the parliamentary party leader of the MQM, Syed Sardar Ahmed, and officials of the labour and law department in this regard. The house may allow him to recall and reconsider the same so that legal complications in protection of the rights of workers could be removed, he added.

PTI’s Samar Ali Khan said that it was really an important bill and as such it ought to be ensured that there should be no controversy between the province and federation. Therefore, he said, he considered it proper to take the federal government on board before further consideration of the bill.

Khwaja Izhar suggested that the Sindh government, which in the past had been writing letters to the federal government on different issues, should write a letter with reference to the bill under consideration to get the viewpoint of the federal government. Otherwise, he said, the provincial labour inspectors could not even enter the federal organisations.

He said he and his party was not in favour of recalling Clause 2 or withdrawing the bill without taking into account the federal government’s point of view. “We are not against the spirit of the bill. But if attempt is made to get the bill passed on the basis of majority we would oppose it.”

Mr Khuhro insisted that in order to improve the bill it was necessary to bring it in its original shape as it was before the amendment in Clause 2.

Health Minister Dr Sikander Mandhro said that it was not possible for the provincial government to get clarification on the working of its some 37 administrative departments from the federal government.

Mr Khuhro said that the opposition did not realise the importance of provincial autonomy.

Maintaining that the MQM was angry over the successful public meeting of their nemesis, he said that there was no need for further drama because it was not our fault if someone had a big show.

The minister’s remarks forced the MQM lawmakers to stage a protest which was also joined by the lawmakers of other opposition parties.

Their protest was so intense that the deputy speaker, who called the house in order at 10.36am, adjourned the house till Tuesday in less than three hours as soon as the bill was passed with a majority vote.

Later, talking to the media Nand Kumar Goklani of the PML-F, Khurram Sherzaman of the PTI and Aamir Moeen Peerzada of the MQM criticised the government for adopting the bill in such a hasty manner.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2017