LAHORE, Oct 20: Punjab Governor Khalid Maqbool has said the government will fulfill its legal and constitutional obligations in respect of enforcement of labour laws for workers’ welfare.

Talking to a Pakistan Workers Federation delegation which called on him at the Governor’s House here on Friday, he said the government would ensure enforcement of the laws pertaining to minimum wages, working hours, safety measures at work place and social security scheme to facilitate increase in industrial production through labour welfare.

The government, he added, would also continue taking steps for increasing the opportunities for workers’ skill improvement and provide protection to Wapda officials against violence.

The governor said the government was fully aware of the problems being faced by workers and was taking steps for their solution. It had already enhanced the minimum wages by 33 per cent in view of inflation, and was bringing improvement in the facilities for the education of their children, medical treatment of their families and solving their residential problems.

The delegation led by federation president Talib Nawaz and secretary-general Khursheed Ahmad apprised the governor of the problems being faced by the workers in view of inflation and rise in incidence of labour laws’ violation owing to suspension of labour inspections in the province.

They urged restoration of the inspections for monitoring the labour laws’ implementation and steps for providing increased training facilities for workers to expedite pace of industrial development.

The delegation demanded strict enforcement of labour laws.

It deplored that Wapda workers were finding it difficult to control power theft due to the highhandedness of consumers in some cases.

They also urged steps for stopping retrenchment of PTCL workers and solution of bank employees’ problems.