For the first time, Pakistan was represented by a powerful tripartite delegation at the International Labour Conference of ILO in Geneva. The Government Delegation was represented by Ishrat Ali, Federal Secretary MOPHRD, Laeeq Ahmed, Secretary Labour Sindh, and Liaqat Ali Chatha, Secretary Labour Punjab.
The Employers delegation was represented by Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President of Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) and Substitute Member of the Governing Body of ILO, and Fasihul Karim Siddiqi, Advisor to the Employer Delegate. The Workers Delegation was represented by Zahoor Awan, Chairman Pakistan Workers Federation.
The Governments, Employers, and Workers’ representatives from 187 ILO Member states came together to discuss the world of work issues with a special focus on Occupational Safety and Health, apprenticeship, as well as the Social and Solidarity Economy, are among the few items on the Agenda.
The Pakistan Delegate attended all the meetings of the General Affairs Committee for the discussion on the amendments in the Maritime Convention, the inclusion of the OSH as a fundamental right for workers by bringing amendment in the 1998 Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, and the up-gradation of the Conventions relating to OSH as a core labor convention.
The Employers Group presented some basic amendments in the Declaration which were adopted by consensus. However, the real debate took place on the up-gradation of the OSH Conventions which are Convention No. 187 Promotional Framework for OSH and Convention No. 155 Occupational Safety and Health Convention. After a detailed conversation between the employers and workers, with consensus, the Conventions 187 and 155 were agreed to be up-graded as core conventions.
The Pakistan delegation also attended the meeting of the Committee on Decent Work and Social Solidarity Economy. As Pakistan was a member of the Tripartite Committee for drafting a report on Decent Work and SSE, the employers’ delegation expressed its view that given the large size of informal economy and cooperatives in developing countries like Pakistan, there existed great scope and opportunity for promoting SMEs into SSEs and the guidelines being developed through these recommendations are likely to have transformed and value-adding impact on our economy and society.
The Pakistan Delegation was invited by the Ambassador Khalil Hashmi Pakistan’s Permanent Mission in Geneva to a Luncheon meeting in which various proposals were discussed for wide communication of stakeholders with the Pakistan mission and the ILO on issues of social compliance. SDG implementation and promotion of Employment and Decent Work Program in Pakistan.
Representing the Pakistan Employers delegation, Zaki Ahmed Khan, Vice President EFP, made an in-person speech at the ILC’s plenary session on 07 June 2022 in which he highlighted the development challenges faced by developing countries and the initiatives taken by the EFP, among others, in promoting bilateral and tripartite social dialogue, engagement of the private sector in SDG implementation, skill development program, and establishment of the National Business Task Force on UNSDSF, the only of its kind in Asia for providing strategic direction for UN Development activity at the country level.
