South Asia Labour Conference will open on April 24 at Pearl Continental Hotel.
It will be inaugurated by Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will chair the concluding session.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO), the European Union, the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industries, the LCCI, the federal government, donor organisations, and labour representatives will participate in the conference.
Objectives
The conference aims to strengthen cooperation among SAARC countries, identify common gaps in labour market governance, compliance with international labour standards and labour productivity in South Asia.
Participants of the conference will explore joint regional strategies to improve labour productivity and enhance labour competitiveness.
A stakeholders’ consultation was arranged by the Labour and Human Resource Department on March 24 to discuss various themes for the conference.
Strengthening occupational safety and health management systems
International Labour Organisation HSE consultant Dr Tahir Baig Barlas said more than annually 2.34 million people died due to work-related accidents and diseases world over. He said over 270 million workers suffered serious injuries at work every year.Barlas said 160 million workers suffered from illnesses from work-related causes.
He said the risks for occupational accidents and diseases should be managed by employers.
He stressed that it was essential to establish occupational safety and health management systems at workplaces for continual improvement of working environment.
He lauded the efforts of Centre for Improvement of Working Conditions and Environment (CIWCE), Lahore for promotion of occupational safety and health at the workplaces. The CIWCE was established in Lahore in 1987 by the Labour Department with the collaboration of ILO and UNDP.
Vulnerable groups
HomeNet Pakistan Executive Director Ume Laila Azhar said in Pakistan, around 75 per cent of the population lived either at the poverty line or below it.
She said according to data collected by the Finance Ministry, over 50 million people earned less than Rs 107 per day. She said discrimination against women was manifested in low wage rates. She noted that male-female wage differentials had narrowing down over time, but only for developed countries.
Azhar said the most vulnerable section of the working population was the unpaid family worker.
Speaking on child labour, Azhar said nearly 215 million children worked full time across the world.
Harmonisation of labour laws and policies
Raja Faizul Hassan Faiz, a consultant, said after the 18th amendment the provinces had adopting federal legislation with necessary amendments for labour.
He said the Constitution of Pakistan required the state to ensure elimination of all forms of exploitation. He said after devolution of the powers to legislate, it is was time that all labour laws, particularly related to employment, industrial relation, OSH, wages and pension/medical coverage be examined and possibility of consolidation and rationalisation be explored.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 4th, 2014.