PR LAHORE - The government should adopt progressive labour policy in conformity with ILO convention ratified by the government of Pakistan. The government should also get amended outdated labour laws including Safety Act, Mines Act and Boiler Act and get enforced various labour laws including Minimum Wages, Social Security and Old Age Employees Benefit Institution Ordinance and Industrial and Commercial Employment (Standing Orders) Act as well as other laws in conformity with ILO Convention No 81.

These and other demands were raised by the delegation of All Pakistan Workers Confederation in a meeting with Punjab Minister for Labour Raja Ashfaque Sarwar on Saturday. The APWC delegation included veteran trade union leader Khurshid Ahmed, general secretary, Rubeena Jameel, president, Yousaf Baloch, chairman, Akbar Ali Khan, additional general secretary, Osama Tariq, secretary, and other representatives of the confederation.

The workers also demanded the government to get amended Social Security Employees Ordinance and provide free medical facilities to the retired workers and their families. They also demanded the government to get raised the pension from Rs5200 to Rs15000 per month under Old Age Employees Benefit Ordinance and get constructed housing colonies for the industrial workers and their families in each district. They also urged the government to get paid the pending claims of the marriage and death grant to the workers under Worker Welfare Fund at the earliest. They also demanded special promulgation of law for the welfare of domestic workers and home based workers. It was also demanded to get enforced labour laws for female workers.

The provincial minister assured the delegation that that the government of Punjab would make its utmost effort to get enforced the labour laws, get reviewed Social Security Employees Ordinance and forward demand of the workers for raising the pensions under Old Age Benefit Employees Scheme to the federal government. He informed that the provincial government had promulgated special laws for elimination of the abuse of child labour and bonded labour and provide free qualitative education to their children.