LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday issued a special message on International Labour Day, paying rich tribute to workers across the world, including labourers, miners, and industrial workers. She saluted the dignity of the working class and appreciated their contribution to industrial development.
Recognition of Working Women
The chief minister also paid special tribute to working women who support their families through hard work and struggle. Maryam Nawaz emphasised the need to ensure fair wages, safe working conditions, better healthcare facilities, and quality education for workers' children.
Government Commitment to Labour Welfare
She said the Punjab government was committed to improving the living standards and ensuring prosperity for the labour class, adding that “workers are friends of Allah, and we respect and value those whom Allah loves.”
The CM said that ration cards and a monthly subsidy of Rs3,000 were being provided to more than 1.4 million workers and labourers across the province. She said millions of workers were receiving free medical treatment in Social Security hospitals and dispensaries on a daily basis.
Housing and Accommodation Initiatives
Maryam Nawaz said labourers were being provided with ready-built flats to ensure home ownership, adding that 750 flats had already been allotted, while 1,872 more will be provided to workers in the next phase. She said 700 workers’ accommodations were being developed in Quaid-e-Azam Business Park, Sheikhupura, along with initiatives like Workers Vigilance Centres and Teleclinics for labour welfare.
She added that an Occupational Safety and Health Management Center will soon be established at the Nawaz Sharif Social Security Teaching Hospital.
Increased Grants and New Facilities
The CM further announced that marriage grants for workers have been increased from Rs400,000 to Rs600,000, while death grants have been raised from Rs800,000 to Rs1 million. She said for the first time in Lahore, “Gosha-e-Mazdoor” has been established, where labourers seeking livelihood can sit and rest with ease under one facility.
