ILO Chief Calls Workers And Employers Joint Partners In Lahore

LAHORE: The head of the International Labour Organisation spent Thursday on a Lahore factory floor and in a union hall, telling both sides of industry that workers and employers are “joint partners” in Pakistan’s growth.

Director General Gilbert F. Houngbo was on the Lahore leg of a four-day visit that began on October 6, his first to Pakistan since taking office in October 2022. Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain has described it as the first by an ILO chief in three decades.

At Millat Tractors, Chairman Sikandar Mustafa Khan received him and Chief Executive Officer Raheel Asghar briefed him on the assembly plant and its operations. Mr Houngbo toured the facility and inspected its sections.

Addressing workers there, he praised the steps taken for their welfare and occupational safety and said he was impressed by the facilities provided to them. The ILO, he added, would keep working for workers’ welfare, and he urged greater attention to skills so that the workforce can meet a changing labour market.

He then went to the Pakistan United Workers Federation headquarters in Garhi Shahu, where the Workers Employers Bilateral Council of Pakistan (WEBCOP) had arranged a social dialogue attended by industry, labour and government representatives.

There he said workers’ welfare was a shared responsibility and that sustained dialogue between the two sides was essential to better industrial relations. He also noted Pakistan’s active representation on the ILO’s governing body and said the country could play an important part in advancing workers’ interests.

Accompanying him at different stops were Mr Hussain, the minister for overseas Pakistanis, Federal Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain, Punjab Labour Minister Muhammad Mansha Ullah Butt, Labour Secretary Danish Afzal and Director General Labour Welfare Syeda Kulsoom Hai. The federation thanked the visitor and presented him with a commemorative shield.

The day had its ceremonial side. Mr Houngbo laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and his delegation toured the Badshahi Mosque, taking an interest in its Mughal-era architecture. He had been received at the airport that morning by Mr Butt, Malik Sohaib Ahmed Bherth and senior labour officials.

The visit has moved quickly. In Islamabad on Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked the ILO to help with international certification and vocational training for Pakistan’s skilled workers. In Karachi on Wednesday, Mr Houngbo attended the 75th anniversary of the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan and visited the Mazar-e-Quaid.

Punjab has its own unfinished business on labour. In August the province ordered that unregistered workers be enrolled in social security on priority. The tractor plant visit also came two weeks after the chief minister launched the fourth phase of the Green Tractor Scheme.