KARACHI, Sept 20: Federal Minister for Labour and Manpower, Abdus Sattar Lalika on Saturday emphasized more interaction between government, employees and employers to formulate productive labour policies to boost industries and achieve country’s economic targets.

He said that he was always available for exchanging views with the labour leaders and employers to evolve better policies, while talking to participants of a workshop held to discuss industrial laws.

The workshop on “Industrial Relations Ordinance 2002 and Review of Factories Act 1934” was organized by the Ministry of Industries and Production, and Small & Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA).

Minister noted that serious efforts were needed for capacity building.

“Investment of people in the ministry is must for its better performance,”he said.

Visualizing an active role for the government, he said it would not become a silent partner and justice would be done to employees as well as to the employers.

The role of labour unions should be very mature and the leaders should adopt a responsible and practical approach to ensure welfare of the nation, he said and added that an employer should also provide all basic facilities to workers, so that the workers could lead a decent life, otherwise, he maintained, production and quality would be badly affected.

He accused opposition parties of hindering legislation in the parliament and of the consequent delay in formulation and announcement of national labour policy.

He agreed that de-regulation should be linked to employment generation and economic uplift, and that industrial laws should be in agreement.

The minister, referring to implications of the WTO, said management and rationalization of water resources in the country was very essential to ensure availability of raw material for local industries, as 80 per cent of the industries were agri-based.

About smuggling and illegal dumping of foreign goods in the country, he said the government was making hectic efforts to stop it and the record development work being carried out in tribal areas was a part of this move.

Earlier, chief executive officer of the SMEDA, Zahid Aziz, in his welcome address said the seminar was aimed at seeking views and suggestions from all stake-holders, so that the revised Factories Act could be made effective.

President, National Labour Federation, Mohammad Islam, underlined the need for inter-ministerial coordination.

He called upon the World Bank representatives, who were participating in the workshop, to link deregulation to cost of business, increased productivity and human resource development, while extending their financial help in this regard. World Bank representative Isfandyar Zaman also spoke.—APP