NA passes Industrial Relations Bill
Asim Yasin
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Wednesday passed the Industrial Relations Bill 2012, to ensure more rights to labourers and consolidate and rationalise the law in Islamabad Capital Territory and at trans-professional level, relating to formation of trade unions, determining the collective bargaining agents.
The Senate had already passed this bill last week and now would be sent for the assent of the president for enacting it to a law. PPP legislator Qamar Zaman Kaira moved the motion to suspend the relevant rules for bringing the bill for consideration.
The bill would also envisage regulation of relations between employer and workers, the avoidance and settlement of any differences or disputes arising between them or matters connected therewith and ancillary.
According to bill, the federal government would constitute a National Industrial Relations Commission which will adjudicate and determine an industrial dispute in the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) to which a trade union or a federation of such trade unions is a party and which is not confined to matters of purely local nature and any other industrial dispute which is, in the opinion of the government, of natural importance and is referred to it by that government.
The bill shall apply to all persons employed in any establishment of industry in the ICT or carrying on business in more than one province, but shall not apply to any person employed in the police or any of the defence services of Pakistan or any services or installations exclusively connected with the armed forces of Pakistan including an Ordnance Factory maintained by the federal government.
It shall not apply in the administration of the State other than those employed as workmen and in case of member of the security staff of the PIA Corporation or drawing wages in pay group not lower than Group V in the establishment of that corporation. It shall not be applicable to the Pakistan Security Printing Corporation of the Security Papers Limited. The legislation shall not be applicable to an establishment or institution meant for treatment or care of sick, infirm, destitute or mentally unfit persons excluding those run on commercial basis.
Six retiring Senators also made farewell speeches and appreciated the services of the outgoing members.
The bill says that whosoever willfully fails to implement any term of any settlement, award or decision which is his duty under this Act, shall be punishable with imprisonment which may extend to 15 days or a fine which may extend to Rs 30,000 or with both.
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