Govt striving for business, industrial growth without compromising workers’ rights: PM

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday said the government was striving to achieve the industrial growth and bring ease of doing business in the country without making any compromise on the workers' rights.

He was chairing a high level meeting to discuss the facilitative measures for small and medium industries and the protection of the labourers’ rights, a PM Office statement said.

Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Special Assistant to PM on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Chairman Board of Investment Zubair Gilani, Punjab Industries Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal, Punjab Labor Minister Ansar Majeed Khan and senior officers of the relevant federal and provincial departments also attended the meeting.

The prime minister was briefed in detail about the problems being faced by the industries sector in Punjab during the inspection by different departments.

He was also apprised on the measures being taken for the protection of the rights of the workers and labourers and to improve the health and education facilities for their families.

The prime minister was told that according to the data from different electric supply companies, the power connections of around 55,435 industrial units of total 226,600 units in Punjab had been disconnected.

However, around 22,475 units were registered with the Punjab Labour Department and 63,500 with the Employees OId-age Benefits Institutions while the Social Security department had the data of 77,448 units.

Similarly, according to the record of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company, around 24,415 industrial units were registered with the labour department of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The prime minister was told that on one hand the non-registration of the industrial units with relevant departments violated the workers' rights while on the other, the already registered units complained about the harassment by different government bodies which negatively impacted the industrial growth.

Addressing the meeting, the prime minister said it was equally important to register the industrial units for protection of the workers’ rights and facilitate the registered units to achieve the smooth industrial growth.

The meeting agreed in principle to introduce the Inspector-less Regime in Punjab and third party inspection on some crucial matters.

The prime minister directed the ministers for industries and labour to devise a strategy in this regard.

The prime minister emphasized that in order to achieve the economic growth, it was essential to provide all out facilities to the industrial sector to accelerate the economic activity as well as create the employment opportunities.