KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday expre­ssed resentment over provincial authorities for not taking serious efforts for welfare of workers and directed them to establish social security courts across the province.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar said it came on record that there was not a single court under the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Act in the province, while the provincial government had notified two labour courts as the social security courts.

Disposing of a petition filed against the Sindh Employees Social Security Institution (SESSI) for not issuing registration cards to insured persons, the bench in its order said that the labour courts were already overburdened, thus four social security courts must be established in Karachi and at least one such court be set up in all remaining divisions of Sindh.

It further said that such courts would help in determining the issues of the most unprivileged class i.e. workers, hence the same should be established without further loss of time. The court sought a compliance report in two months.

Referring to the report of a senior civil judge appointed by the SHC as commissioner in another petition in 2019 to examine the status of SESSI, the court said that the official had submitted a comprehensive report which not only brought the brightening aspects of the law, but also consequences of the failure of SESSI towards its obligations.

It further said that the report of the commissioner be sent to the labour department and Sindh Worker Welfare Board (SWWB) for consideration and action as suggested in it.

“We feel that the government has not taken serious efforts in favour of workers (labours), admittedly labour courts are already small in number and overburdened, hence, in all division at least one social security court and in Karachi at least four courts are the need of the time,” it added.

It asked SESSI to ensure physical verification of all the establishments falling within its territory jurisdiction and must ensure registration of all the employees who were liable to be given status of secured persons

The bench further directed SESSI to also work for registration of domestic workers under the Sindh Home Based Workers Act 2018 and for this purpose necessary publication be made by informing the domestic workers of their rights of registration.

The court directed all the deputy commissioners to provide every help to SESSI officers who must adopt all modes to ensure that every secured worker was registered.

Published in Dawn, October 9th, 2021