ISLAMABAD: Former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani has condemned the draft of a new labour code in Punjab and advised his party’s Sindh government not to introduce a similar legislation without taking workers unions into confidence.

In a statement on Monday, Mr Rabbani condemned the Punjab Labour Code 2024, introduced by the provincial government and the efforts being made to bring a similar legislation in Sindh.

The draft laws, which are yet to be approved, have been prepared by Sindh and Punjab with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation.

The PPP leader said the new code has opened the door to “greater exploitation and insecurity” for the working class.

He said the law undermines job security, legalises exploitative contract systems, restricts trade unions and potentially gives legal cover to bonded labour.

He urged the Sindh government to take labour unions into confidence before finalising its own law.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2024