KARACHI:
Ameer Nawab, who has just resigned from his post as Sindh labour minister, has said that Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had stopped him from taking action against factories violating labour rules.
This point was corroborated by Sharafat Ali of the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research, an organisation that works for labour rights. He alleged on Wednesday that the CM had verbally issued directives to government officials to stop the inspections of factories in Sindh.
It appears that Sindh was following in Punjab’s footsteps. In 2003, the Punjab government banned labour inspections, following which the Sindh CM did the same.
Ameer Nawab says he was told to drop cases. He told The Express Tribune that officials from his department had raided some areas in Karachi and registered cases against a few factories, which were not registered with the labour department. Action was taken against the factories after a number of complaints were received that they were violating the labour law.
But he was told to withdraw the cases. “We tried to persuade the CM that the cases have been referred to court, and cannot be withdrawn,” he said, adding that the CM expressed his anger over the operation. “Since then we stopped the inspections. How can we continue with them when the chief executive of a province asks us to stop an inquiry and withdraw the cases?” Before Musharraf came to power, factories were supposed to be inspected once a year. During chief minister Arbab Ghulam Rahim’s time under the Musharraf set-up, the rule was that before an inspection, labour officials had to serve an employer one month’s notice about when they would be coming. “This refutes the actual purpose of an inspection,” Nawab said. He had asked CM Qaim Ali Shah to revisit the cabinet’s decision but nothing happened.
Piler’s Sharafat Ali had a similar story to tell. He told The Express Tribune that a former deputy director of the labour department, who was also in charge of the health and safety department with the government of Sindh, had raided a factory in SITE soon after the PPP government came to power. He said that the officials not only fined the factory owner, but in a detailed inquiry report held the factory employer responsible for violating labour laws.
Ali alleged that since the factory owner was influential, the CM’s adviser, Zubair Motiwala, not only got involved in the matter but had the case transferred from an honest official and declared the investigation report “null and void”.
“Soon after the incident, the chief minister issued a verbal order directing officials to suspend the inspection of factories in the province,” Piler’s Ali alleged. At that time, trade union leaders had fought back and brought the issue up with Labour Minister Ameer Nawab. Nothing happened.
For his part, adviser Motiwala has disputed this information and said that he had never ever helped any employer violate labour laws. “I accept that the rules are not properly implemented, but it is totally wrong to say that the chief minister had issued verbal orders to suspend the inspection of factories and that I helped a factory owner,” he said. He added that there was rampant corruption in the labour department, which has dented its performance and inspections are not conducted properly.
Regardless of these cases, trade unionists and labour rights defenders held the state responsible for the loss of lives in the factories of Karachi and Lahore. Speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, Noor Muhammad of the Pakistan Workers Confederation said that the entire state, including the government, its departments, policymakers and all those concerned with the enforcement of labour laws were responsible for the deaths of the labourers.
“The state and its machinery is responsible because they silently allow the violation of laws and regulations established to ensure health and safety at work,” said Muhammad.
The National Trade Union Federation held a protest outside the press club and demanded Rs700,000 for those who died in the fire and Rs300,000 for the injured.
“If inspections are allowed in jails where people serve time for their crimes then why is this right denied to labourers who strive to earn by lawful means?” asked Ayub Qureshi of the Pakistan Trade Union Federation. “Industrialists and entrepreneurs have been allowed to treat their labourers even worse than animals.”
And you started a thread for this .
He may be lying only .
He should have resigned that day when CM stopped him .
Sach yeh keh
Har Shakh peh Uloo betha hay , Injam e Gulistan kia ho ga
ہر شاخ پہ الو بیٹھا ہے انجام گلستان کیا ہو گا
And you started a thread for this .
He may be lying only .
He should have resigned that day when CM stopped him .
Sach yeh keh
Har Shakh peh Uloo betha hay , Injam e Gulistan kia ho ga
ہر شاخ پہ الو بیٹھا ہے انجام گلستان کیا ہو گا
Why hasn't CM resigned? Oh, wait, because he likes his kursi and to hell with 300+ people who died in inferno? Uncle ji take off your partisan blinders and see the reality. I supported PPP govt, but it seems like its run by bunch of corrupt morons who are incapable of doing anything at ALL.
Another point that needs to be investigated is, upon whose pressure did the CM bar these inspections? Could be MQM pressure. It is common knowledge that MQM gets money from these factories, very likely they are paid extra to turn the other way while these factory owners cut corners in every way possible.
It was sad to see Khush Bakht Shujaat on a morning show today, grilling the fire department rep on their supposed ineptness in handling the situation. The fire department doesnt even have the funds, nor the equipment needed to deal with such calamities, all because these departments are controlled by the political parties. Political parties are to be held responsible in this case, as I feel that the Fire dept did all it could within its might to help the factory workers.
Whatever the case is, labour minister did the right thing by resigning and telling truth about his incompetent and scared CM.
Reconciliation ker lo, mulk beshuk jaaye bhaar mayn.
p.s. I appreciate your thoughts Shamraz. At least you are not a 'blind jiyala' but an educated ba sha'oor individual who can see that this government is surpassing all records for corruption and incompetence.
Another point that needs to be investigated is, upon whose pressure did the CM bar these inspections? Could be MQM pressure.** I**t is common knowledge that MQM gets money from these factories, very likely they are paid extra to turn the other way while these factory owners cut corners in every way possible.
.
You are living in a fantasy world, dude. Making enemies while lying in a bed.
You blame MQM starting the sentence with a 'COULD'? This shows you have absolutely NO source of this blame, and you are only throwing allegations on people you hate most.
Using your reporting style from the fantasy world, another person might say that more than MQM, the extortionists more likely were Lyari gangsters. After all, only recently Karachi businessmen were out on street demanding action against them.
And you started a thread for this .
He may be lying only .
He should have resigned that day when CM stopped him .
Sach yeh keh
Har Shakh peh Uloo betha hay , Injam e Gulistan kia ho ga
ہر شاخ پہ الو بیٹھا ہے انجام گلستان کیا ہو گا
and when false allegations are made against PTI you will create a thread, post it in thousand threads, why this hypocricy?
Why hasn't CM resigned? Oh, wait, because he likes his kursi and to hell with 300+ people who died in inferno? Uncle ji take off your partisan blinders and see the reality. I supported PPP govt, but it seems like its run by bunch of corrupt morons who are incapable of doing anything at ALL.
Shamraz bhai, we are talking about Pakistan, resignation can be made only after death or tenure is over.
Another point that needs to be investigated is, upon whose pressure did the CM bar these inspections?** Could be MQM pressure**. It is common knowledge that MQM gets money from these factories, very likely they are paid extra to turn the other way while these factory owners cut corners in every way possible.
MQM can wield pressure only for factories that are in its jurisdiction but if you read the statement CM stopped inspections of ALL Sindh factories.
There are some views on face book about some rift about high profile bhatta
Sure, divert the incompetency towards others, conspiracies, takht-e-Lahore, establishment.
Qaim Ali Shah isn't good enough to be a graveyard caretaker, let alone CM-ship of Sindh. PPP had no better person for the slot?
I just spoke to a PPP diehard jiyalaa here in USA (sorry can't mention his name) and he had been part of PPP since ZAB's days and is extremely unhappy with the current PPP lot and he said that Zardari regime's model country is Somalia and he wants to make sure Pakistan gets that status while he's in power and heading PPP.