LAHORE, Nov 29: The uneven decentralization of the Labour Department under the devolution of power plan has added to the problems of industrial workers in 15 less developed districts of the province.

Instead of getting their disputes with their employers settled in their own districts as envisaged in the devolution scheme, the workers would now have to travel to Lahore to seek resolution of such issues and problems as registration of a trade union, non-payment of compensation claims (in case of a workplace accident etc) by employers, and timely payment of wages and other dues.

The situation has resulted from a Labour Department decision to post BS-16 officials as district labour officers in Toba Tek Singh, Bahawalnagar, Khanewal, Bhakkar, Khushab, Mianwali, Pakpattan, Narowal, Chakwal, Lodhran, Vehari, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Leiah and Rajanpur.

Under the law, officers in BS-16 lack powers to register trade unions, act as compensation commissioner, take action under Payment of Wages Act, and effect conciliation under the Industrial Relations Ordinance. Such powers are vested in officials in BS-17 and above. “Hence, the DOLs in these districts would not be competent to deal with some very important, day-to-day issues and problems faced by the workers,” says Hanif Ramay, information secretary of the Muttahida Labour Federation, Punjab.

It may be noted here that the Labour Department has divided 34 districts into three categories — A, B, and C — for the purpose of “devolving powers to the district level”.

While nine category-A and 10 category-B districts have labour officers in BS 17-19 having with full powers enjoyed by the joint directors (based in the divisional headquarters) in the old system, the BS-16 DOLs appointed in category-C districts are restricted by the relevant laws.

Explaining the rationale for posting junior officers as DOLs in category-C districts, the Labour Department officials said it was on account of the smaller number of industrial units there.

To save the workers the trouble of travelling all the way to Lahore, the Labour Department secretary, Zahoorul Haq Shaikh, is quoted by the labour leaders to have stated that the “JDH would visit these districts regularly to look after their interests.”

“In either case, whether the JDH visits these districts or the workers have to come to Lahore, the very purpose of devolution of power is defeated as a result of appointment of junior officials. The scheme of things devised by the department would compound the problems, Mr Ramay asserts. In effect, he concludes, “powers have been centralized rather than decentralized” in their case.

Describing the decision as “discriminatory”, he says each district should have a “DOL invested with all powers even if the number of the industrial workers does not meet the department’s criterion”.

Mr Ramay claims that the federal labour minister Omar Asghar Khan supports the workers’ point of view and has asked the department to take remedial steps. Nothing has so far been done, however, to rectify the situation.