Call for implementation of Covid-19 relief ordinance.

KARACHI -- Trade unions, human rights and civil society activists have urged the Sindh government to implement and monitor the Sindh Covid-19 Emergency Relief Ordinance 2020 through a tripartite mechanism because many industries have started firing their workers and many others are not paying their labourers their rightful wages.

In a joint statement, issued by Karamat Ali, executive director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler); Nasir Mansoor, secretary general, National Trade Union Federation (NTUF), Habibuddin Junaidi, president, Peoples Labour Bureau Sindh; Liaquat Sahi of the Democratic Workers Union, State Bank of Pakistan; Mahnaz Rahman, director, Aurat Foundation; Zehra Khan of Home-Based Women Workers Federation; Farhat Parveen of NOW Communities; Zahid Farooq of Urban Resource Centre and others, they condemned the opening of gunfire on protesting workers and the arrest of labour leaders in Sindh's industrial areas.

'We supported the government's all pro-worker policies and legislation, but it seems that certain quarters in the bureaucracy of the labour department are reluctant to implement these policies and orders,' the joint statement said, adding that the provincial government had asked the joint directors of the labour department to receive complaints from workers and take action but they did not properly comply with this.

'It seems that a certain portion of the bureaucracy in the labour department is not serious in the implementation of laws. The tripartite mechanism is missing in many cases as this is a mandatory mechanism for...