ISLAMABAD: Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has suggested taking practical measures to represent labour in parliament and vowed to consult with all the political parties for such legislation.

His message, released on Tuesday on World Labour Day, added that the upper house has always played an active role in legislation and would continue to do so.

“All institution, including Parliament should ensure existing laws regarding labours so that they would become active part of our society and culture. Country cannot progress unless the issues of labours are addressed,” he said.

This is not the first statement of its kind to come from the Senate. In 2013, PPP senators Mian Raza Rabbani and Saeed Ghani tabled a bill seeking labour representation in the Senate, and Mr Ghani continued to work to pass the bill, which remained under discussion in the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

The bill had suggested the nomination of labour representatives to one reserved seat from each province, and two such reserved seats in each provincial assembly.

Some committee members at the time had argued that if labour was represented, traders, farmers and other groups would also seem representation in parliament. The bill was not passed by parliament as Mr Ghani later resigned as senator and contested a seat in the Sindh provincial assembly.

Mr Ghani, now serving as a provincial minister, told Dawn the bill was tabled in good faith to ensure labour representation in parliament.

“Most political parties were not in favour of the bill when it was being discussed. When I suggested voting over the bill, Mr Abbasi opposed it and suggested that deliberation continue. However, I later also left Senate and went to Sindh,” he said. In response to a question, he praised the Senate chairman’s suggestion and said he should play his role in giving labour parliamentary representation.

“If a bill is tabled, my party and I will support it and will play an active role to ensure that the bill is passed,” he said.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2018