CM approves Rs 20,000 minimum wages for workers

LAHORE: Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Labour Day has given approval to fix minimum wages at Rs 20,000.

Chairing a meeting in connection with providing relief to the labourers at the CM’s Office here on Saturday, the chief minister said the welfare of the labourers and workers was the top priority of the government and Punjab was the only province that had given approval to fix the minimum wages at Rs 20,000.

He said the PTI government in the last three years had increased Rs 5000 in the minimum wages of workers and would continue to increase the minimum wages of workers in future as well.

He bashed that former rulers paid no attention to the welfare of workers and did not take any step in providing relief to this indigent class.

He mentioned that former rulers added only Rs 3,000 in the minimum wages of the labourers in their last five years tenure.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the modern Online Labour Inspection System had been introduced after eliminating the outdated system.

A Self-Assessment Scheme had been launched for ensuring transparent and easy payment of Social Security Contributions, he said.

The CM said the free of cost emergency medical services in Social Security Hospitals had been ensured while Social Security Inspection had been limited to 20 per cent.

Usman Buzdar said that marriage grant for workers had been increased from Rs 100,000 to Rs 200,000 whereas Death Grant had also been increased from Rs 500,000 to Rs 600,000. Online and transparent system had been introduced for awarding scholarships to the children of workers and laborers, he added.

He said that flats had been allotted to the labourers in the labour colonies of Lahore, Nankana Sahib and Multan.

A transparent allotment of 992 flats had been made in Labour Housing Colony Multan, the CM said.

He said that apart from free education for thousands of children under the Punjab Workers Welfare Fund, Talent Scholarship, Marriage Grant and Death Grant of Rs 7.25 billion was an open proof of labour friendly policies of the incumbent government.

The Labour Secretary briefed the meeting on the steps being taken for the welfare of the workers.

Minister for Labour Ansar Majeed, Principal Secretary to the CM, Secretary Labour, Secretary Information and officials concerned were present on this occasion.

Meanwhile, the CM said that no one would be allowed to create hindrance in the legitimate work of elected representative of the province. He was talking to members of National and Provincial Assemblies who met him at the CM’s Office and discussed the progress of various development projects, public welfare schemes and solutions to public problems in their respective constituencies. The CM issued orders on the spot to resolve the issues of their constituencies. He said that development work would be carried out in their constituencies on priority basis. He assured them that his doors were always open for people and he was always available to serve the public.

"We do not believe in chanting hollow slogans like previous rulers did," he added.

He said the incumbent government was serving people with wholeheartedly and would continue to do so.

The CM assured that the problems in the constituencies of the MNAs would be resolved on priority basis as they were very respectable for him as well. Coordination with the MNAs would be improved, he added.

State Minister Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, MNAs Ghulam Bibi Bharwana, Amir Sultan Cheema, MPAs M Nadeem Qureshi, Shehbaz Ahmed and Ch Ijaz Hussain met the chief minister.