Pakistan’s Labour Policy 2002, Labour Protection Policy 2005, and the related legislation currently in the process of revision and consolidation, provide a framework for worker protection but also seeks to encourage increased efficiency and competitiveness on the part of the nation’s enterprises.

Policies and laws, although important in providing guidelines and legally enforceable standards, respectively, mean relatively little unless arrangements are in place to ensure the highest possible degree of compliance with legal provisions.  Such is the purpose of this Labour Inspection Policy – to ensure compliance with the nation’s laws and regulations by all who fall within their provisions.

The preparation of this Labour Inspection Policy has involved consultations between government officials, employers’ and workers’ representatives throughout the country, and has taken their views and recommendations into account.  Its preparation has also taken into account Pakistan’s obligations under international treaties as embodied in ILO Conventions ratified by Pakistan.  Of particular importance is ILO Convention 81 (Labour Inspection) ratified by Pakistan in 1953.  This ratification, more than 50 year’s ago, is evidence of Pakistan’s long standing commitment to inspection matters and obliges the State to honour its obligations under that Convention.

Pakistan has also entered into an agreement with the ILO relating to a Decent Work Programme that highlights the importance of labour protection and work safety and health, thereby placing further emphasis on the importance of an effective and efficient system of labour inspection.

This policy document is consistent with ILO Convention 81 but also introduces a number of innovations directed to extending the coverage of labour inspection and related activities to segments of the working population previously untouched by labour protection and inspection services. 

These innovations include the introduction of a unitary, integrated labour inspection system to replace the various specialist inspection services that have operated in the past.  By its nature, an integrated system combines the work of several different inspectors under one general inspector.  This can result in a dilution of expertise if not handled properly, but arrangements will be made to retrain inspectors to undertake integrated inspection work, as well as provide them with access to high quality technical expertise in cases where problems are detected that fall outside the abilities of the generalist.

Integrated inspection will make much better use of our limited inspection resources.  It is expected that the number of enterprises in Pakistan will increase at a faster rate than the capacity of our labour inspectorates to inspect them.  If our inspection system does not change we will have more and more enterprises, but inspected less and less.  This situation is unacceptable, hence the need to adapt to an integrated approach that will result in more inspection visits and a more efficient use of our resources.

It is also proposed that more and more enterprises will be brought within the inspection net.  It is only fair that where there is evidence of an employer-employee relation, irrespective of the size of enterprise, that this relation be expressed in writing and that minimum standards, including minimum wages, apply. Where a formal contract of employment exists labour inspectors are required to ensure compliance with the standards required by law.

For family enterprises, self-employed persons, and micro enterprises in both urban and rural areas, the existence of a formal contract of employment is not so apparent but it is still important that persons engaged in informal economy activities have access to labour protection services, particularly in the fields of social security and work safety and health.  It is proposed to introduce, on a pilot basis in the first instance, a labour extension service to  provide a range of advisory and information services to persons in the informal economy that, traditionally, have fallen outside the coverage of labour protection.

It is proposed that labour extension and labour protection services be provided by different officers with both groups, however, maintaining close cooperation with each other under the overall responsibility of provincial directorates of labour.

The various new initiatives outlined in this policy document will require  capacity building at both federal and provincial levels.  It will be necessary to establish a National Labour Inspectorate with the necessary staff and support resources, as well as strengthen the capacity of labour inspectorates at provincial level through training, improved communications, the introduction of computer technology, and the preparation of staff procedure manuals in support of the various new approaches to inspection.

This Labour Inspection Policy provides a new vision for labour inspection in Pakistan.  It will not be possible to commence all the new initiatives simultaneously but, over a period of time, their introduction will bring a new perspective to labour inspection with an emphasis on prevention and improvement for the benefit of both workers and employers.

It is proposed that this policy and its implementation be reviewed by the National Tripartitie Labour Conference in 3 years.

Click here to download Labour Inspection Policy 2006.