KARACHI: Labour organisations have demanded the establishment of a judicial commission to probe activities of labour institutions such as the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) and the Sindh Works Welfare Board (SWWB).

Executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) Karamat Ali presented this demand at a press conference held at the Karachi Press Club on Tuesday, where a bevy of trade union leaders and a few journalists were present.

The main focus of the press conference remained the recent induction of Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Saeed Ghani as an adviser to the chief minister of Sindh on labour issues and the recent ‘efforts’ he made to introduce a culture of accountability within the departments.

Speaking about the senator’s recent efforts, Karamat Ali said: “We want to bring to the attention of the senator the continuing corruption within the two labour institutions (SESSI and SWWB). It has come to our notice that these institutions are using every tactic possible to keep a few people in power.”

He said that keeping a particular group of people in power helped them in alleged “misappropriating of funds”.

President of the Sindh Labour Federation Shafiq Ghauri spoke on the point of misappropriation of funds by reminding everyone of a raid by authorities at the Kulsumbai Valika Social Security Hospital, SITE, in March this year.

“The raid was conducted following reports earlier in 2015 of corruption within the hospital mostly in cases related to buying and selling of fake medicines. According to figures, the hospital is involved in the misappropriation of huge among of funds,” he added.

Sharing another instance, he said that in July this year, in a letter to the director general of the commercial audit Sindh, he informed him that vouchers of monetary records of hospitals that come under SESSI were missing. And, that the authorities concerned had not held an audit at the SESSI.

At the same time, Mr Ghauri added that the labour organisations had facts and figures to substantiate their arguments and allegations which they would provide if needed by the authorities. “The allegations that we are making, are also part of the internal audit report of the KV SITE Social Security Hospital, carried by an independent officer. The officer also made a similar observation that vouchers for 21 crores, 45 lakh, 34 thousand and 34 rupees is not available,” he added.

Trade union leader Habib ud Din Junaidi said: “The PPP would get their votes from labourers and working class. So, it is only appropriate to remind them of the corruption, which is prevalent in departments which represent them.”

Farhat Parveen, representing NOW communities, said that soon, legislation would be done to get domestic workers under the social security net. “But for that to happen, we’ll have to get the labour department in order,” she added.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2016