20000125

Two committees to be

formed to streamline

industries inspection

RECORDER REPORT

KARACHI: Director, Labour Sindh, Malik Asrar Hussain, informed the business community on Monday that two committees, one at joint director level and the other at director level, will be formed in all divisions, comprising representatives of industrial units and trade associations, for streamlining inspection work.

Speaking at a meeting of Site Association of Industry (SAI), on Monday, he said that various steps, in close coordination with the representatives of management and labour, had been taken to simplify the inspection system and the approach of the directorate would be to get the irregularities rectified rather than to punish. Now there would be one inspection in a year, he added.

He said no inspection will be carried out without valid authority letter from the directorate. Before inspection, notice will be given to industries and a copy of it will be sent to the respective associations and after inspection a copy of inspection report will be provided to the concerned industry and the association for rectification of the irregularities and shortcomings within a period of one month.

He said if the shortcomings and irregularities were not rectified then further action would be taken. There would be also random checking of officers of labour directorate. The inspection report will be submitted to the joint director, who will submit it to the director for initiating action under the law. One inspector shall inspect five industries in a month.

With a view that industries run properly, he assured labour directorate intervention in matters of labour unfair practices by labour. Industries should inform the directorate about unfair labour practices of unscrupulous elements. This will help in eliminating corruption. The director expressed the need for close liaison between industrial associations and labour directorate in order to create confidence, which had been shaken in the past years.

Welcoming, the guest Abdullah Rafi, SAI Chairman, said that with the new approach and the revised check list the industries would definitely be able to achieve their main objectives i.e. to create more jobs rather than to close down under the duress of frequent and unnecessary inspection of factories.

He demanded that the labour department should suggest to the government exemption from unsuitable labour laws for a certain period on an experimental basis in the private sector, as it has done in the case of export promotion zone (EPZ). This will not only encourage the industrialists but also prove helpful in minimising the corruption within the labour department, boosting production and making the country prosperous.