PML-N boycott for Industrial Relations Bill

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly passed the Industrial Relation Bill 2008 on Wednesday. Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) expressed reservations on some points in the bill and staged token boycott from the house. When the bill was tabled in the house for passage, PML-N’s MNAs Ayaz Amir, Chaudhry Birjees Tahir and Rana Tanvir Ahmed voiced reservations on some clauses of the bill. PML-N members said that Chairman National Industrial Relation commission used to be appointed by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court; but, the bill assigns this right to appointment to the federal government. PML-N members also demanded that IRO 2002 should not be tampered with; instead, it should be handed over to the related standing committee. N-League members opined that if the government wishes to do away with the draconian laws of the dictatorial era, it should also wipe out the Seventeenth Amendment, 58-2(b) and measures of November 3 Emergency. On this occasion, Federal Minister Raza Rabbani said the government is quite resolute on the elimination of all these steps and all the wrong decisions taken by the former government will be repealed. Later on, Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani addressed the house and congratulated the MNAs on the passage of the said bill. He said PML-N quickened with their move to criticize the bill and boycott the house, adding the repeal of IRO 2002 was included in the electoral manifesto of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Benazir Bhutto vowed to remove this bill. The PM said all the parties unanimously approved the bill after elaborate discussion in the senate.