LAHORE, Oct 1: The Pakistan Workers Confederation has expressed serious concern over the government’s failure to enforce the approved legislation on industrial relations which it said was drafted and formulated in consonance with the obligations undertaken by the government in the light of the recommendations of tripartite labour conference as well as those of the Workers Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan.

PWC’s president Gul Rehman, secretary-general Khurshid Ahmad and its representatives drawn from all the four provinces showed deep resentment at a news conference here on Tuesday over what they called a reported move by three federal ministers to dilute the approved legislation. The ministers, they alleged to be involved in it, were Mr Razzaq Daud, Lt-Gen Javed Ashraf Qazi (retired) and Dr Khalid Ranjha.

They said that the reported move of these ministers was not only to put restrictions on the exercize of fundamental trade union and collective bargaining rights of workers but also it was aimed at debarring the workers from seeking legal remedy in case of commission of unfair labour practice by the employers against them for pursuing lawful trade union activities.

The trade union leaders urged the president to fulfil the promise made at the national tripartite labour conference to bring in labour legislation in conformity with the ILO conventions and the unanimous recommendations of the tripartite conference and the WEBCOP.

The PWC’s president and secretary-general also called for the labour policy to fully respect the fundamental trade union rights of the workers. The restrictions imposed on the exercize of trade union and collective bargaining rights of the workers engaged in the railway open lines, PIA, KESC, hospitals and unorganized informal and agriculture sectors should also be removed, they said.

They said that the present labour policy which was recently announced had flaws in relation to guaranteeing the fundamental trade union and collective bargaining rights to the workers such as the restrictions existing at present as well as requiring specific guarantees for respect of right of freedom of association of agricultural workers in conformity with the ratified ILO convention No-11 and extension of labour welfare laws to the informal sector workers. The PWC leaders also urged the government to repeal the Presidential Ordinance, 2000, allowing removal and retirement of workers engaged in public sector without assigning any reason because of its being in contradiction with the principles of justice. The section 2-A of the Service Tribunals Act, the 27-B of the Banking Companies Ordinance and the 17-A of the WAPDA Act should also be repealed, they stated.