KARACHI – The Sindh Labour Department will set up a helpdesk at the SITE Association of Industry (SAI) to help employers register workers. The desk will operate every Tuesday and Thursday, Labour Secretary Sajid Jamal Abro said during a visit to the association.
The announcement followed a proposal by SAI President Abdul Hadi. Responding to a question from a participant, Mr Abro urged industrialists to report any official who demanded payment for registration and encouraged them to use the S-BOSS online platform.
Valika Hospital upgrade
Mr Abro said efforts were under way to improve services at the Kulsumbai Valika Social Security SITE Hospital through a public-private partnership. He said improvements would soon be visible and invited association members to visit the hospital again.
Referring to last year’s HIV outbreak at the hospital, Mr Abro said action had been taken against those found responsible and a committee had been formed under the Sindh chief secretary. He said a Rs2 billion endowment fund had been established and families of affected children were receiving Rs40,000 a month to cover daily expenses. The payments would continue for years, he added.
SAI Labour Committee Chairman Khalid Riaz asked the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution (SESSI) to share its audit reports with industry representatives, questioning how contributions were being used to improve healthcare at the hospital. Committee adviser Abdul Kadir Bilwani proposed allocating 25 per cent of SESSI contributions collected from SITE industries to the hospital’s upgrade.
Industry raises concerns over inspections
Mr Hadi called for merging the five departments under the Labour and Human Resources Department to simplify procedures for businesses. He said the Labour Department was conducting two inspections a year instead of one.
SAI patron Saleem Parekh warned that difficult business conditions could lead to large-scale layoffs and sought a one-year amnesty on industry contributions. Former SAI president Riaz Uddin called for better representation on the tripartite labour committee, while senior member Majyd Aziz proposed giving businesses time to address compliance gaps before imposing penalties.
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