LAHORE, Jan 1: The government should restore workers’ trade union rights guaranteed in the 1973 Constitution and the International Labour Organization conventions to end the unrest caused by the promulgation of the Industrial Relations Ordinance, 2002.

Pakistan Labour Federation secretary general Haji Saeed gave the proposal while talking to ILO Regional Specialist on Workers Activities A. Naidu and Planning Commission Poverty Alleviation Section head Dr Aslam Khan during their visit to the federation office here on Wednesday.

He said workers had been deprived of their fundamental right through the ordinance on the one hand and barred from seeking justice from labour courts even against dismissal from service on the other. The courts had been directed not to issue stay orders on workers’ petitions and allow only payment of wages in case of their dismissal from service.

He said the government should not only restore the trade union rights of workers but also abolish the contract system directing the employers to regularize the service of workers.

He said the employers should realize that they could not get satisfactory performance from the contract workers worried about their job security.

Dr Khan said the government wanted to develop good working relations between the employers and the employees for boosting the industrial production. He said the government wanted to improve the social security standards and reduce poverty and unemployment.