Workers Welfare Board devolvement opposed

PESHAWAR: A joint meeting of the workers employees association and (CBA) union asked the government to take all labour federations and unions representatives into confidence before taking final a decision on the fate of the Workers Welfare Board.

The meeting held under the presidentship of Zulqarnain on Thursday asked the Prime Minister, Imran Khan and his Special Assistance Zulfi Bukhari to ensure the protection of labourers rights before taking a final decision on the issue.

The participants decided to hold a meeting with Chief Minister Mahmud Khan and Labour Minister Shaukat Yousafzai to discuss labourers issues. They termed the handing-over of Workers Welfare Board Islamabad to provinces after 18th Amendment as an injustice with the labourers and board employees. The speakers said Workers Welfare Board was established in 1971 and it was running major welfare projects for the labourers including jahez fund, death grant, scholarship, free education and residential schemes.

They said the federal government was issuing billions of rupees fund to them and if it was handed over to provinces, the federating units would not have enough resources and that would badly affect the poor labourers.