LAHORE, Dec 23: Workers will observe a countrywide protest on Jan 14 against the promulgation of the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2002, and press for the repeal of its provisions contravening the fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution and the ILO conventions.

The decision was taken at a conference of the Pakistan Workers Confederation delegates held at the Labour Hall on Monday with Gul Rahman in the chair. It was decided to organize meetings and rallies and hoist black flags in industrial areas in protest against anti-worker and anti-trade union IRO on the protest day.

The conference urged parliament members not to ratify the IRO as long as the provisions conflicting with the fundamental right of freedom of association guaranteed in the Constitution, the ILO conventions ratified by the government and the unanimous recommendations of the last national tripartite labour conference held in Islamabad were not deleted.

It also decided to struggle against the contract system and press for the appointment of only regular staff for all the jobs of permanent nature. The delegates from Sindh said more and more employers were adopting the contract system as a tool to forestall the formation of trade unions in their establishments.

The conference urged the government to formulate a strategy to check the growing unemployment by adopting policies conducive to industrial and commercial growth to facilitate creation of job opportunities. It urged the government to give up the policy of formulating socio-economic policies on the dictates of the World Bank and the IMF.

It also demanded registration of all industrial and commercial establishments and issuance of appointment letters to all the employees besides their registration with the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution and the Employees Social Security Institution. They also stressed the need for evolving a system for accountability of the employers flouting labour laws.

The conference called for lifting curbs on trade unionism in Railways Open Line, PIA, Karachi Electric Supply Company, Security Printing Corporation of Pakistan and Pakistan Mint, and repeal of Removal from Service Order, Section 27-B of the Banking Companies Ordinance, Section 17-A of the Wapda Act and Section A-2 of the Services Tribunal Act for checking summary dismissals of employees.

It stressed the need for giving trade union rights to agriculture sector workers and extending the benefits of EOBI and Social Security to them. It also stressed the need for a legislation for the formation of sector-wise trade unions besides arrangements for holding a referendum for the determination of collective bargaining agents in all the industrial and commercial organizations after two years. The referendum in public sector utility organizations like Wapda, Railways and telecommunications should be held after every three years.

The conference demanded steps for enforcement of the minimum wages law in all industrial and commercial establishments besides reinstatement of the employees dismissed from service for trade union activities. It also called for fixing the minimum wage for an unskilled worker at Rs5,000 per month. Selection grade and moveover facility should be restored in all the government departments, autonomous and semi-autonomous organizations. The labour courts should be directed to decide cases within three months positively.

It also stressed the need for resumption of production in all sick and closed industrial units to reduce unemployment. The workers should be allowed to run the industries in case the owners were reluctant to do so. Steps should be taken for ensuring regular payment of salaries to the employees of sick and closed units.

The conference called for steps to curb the menace of child labour and forced labour besides a complete ban on employment of children for jobs of hazardous nature. It also opposed privatization of public utility organizations like Wapda, telecommunications and railways. Provision of residential facilities to workers on hire-purchase basis was also demanded.