Govt, industrialists agree on raising minimum wage of employees

ISLAMABAD: The federal government and industrialists have agreed on raising the minimum wage of employees during a high-level meeting held under the chair of Prime Minister Imran Khan, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

A delegation comprising of renowned industrialists and businesspersons met PM Imran Khan in Islamabad today. The meeting was also attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Fawad Chaudhry, Abdul Razak Dawood, Farrukh Habib and Dr Shahbaz Gill.

The federal government and industrialists have agreed on increasing the minimum wage of workers. They emphasised formulating long-term policies for promoting industries.

PM Khan said that the government is fully aware of the financial burden being borne by a common man following the inflation in global markets. The government has taken effective steps to reduce inflation impacts on the common people of the country, he added.

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He asked industrialists and businesspersons to work with the government to provide relief to the common man. The premier said that the exports of information technology and textile were included in the party’s manifesto and the country is witnessing its positive outcomes.

PM Khan said that 10 big companies earned Rs929 billion profit due to business-friendly policies. He added that historical steps were taken to promote investment and businesses. The country witnessed record exports of textile up to $21 billion, whereas, $26 billion exports are expected in the next fiscal year.

“Pakistan becomes the fourth largest manufacturer of motorcycles, whereas, the export of tractors witnesses an increase up to 10 per cent. 90 per cent spare parts of tractors are being manufactured locally.”

The premier urged paying attention to defence production alongside IT and textile sectors.

COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa said that there are vast opportunities for growth in defence production. The economic benefits could be collected through public-private collaborations in defence production, he added.

The army chief assured cooperation to implement government policies to play their role in the country’s development.

PM Imran Khan said that industries have earned record profit and its due share should be given to labourers. He thanked industrialists and businesspersons for raising salaries on his call.

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He added that it was important to hold consultations with the business community prior to his departure for the China visit. Pakistan will hold talks for increasing contacts with Chinese industrialists and joint business ventures.

The industrialists praised the business-friendly policies of the incumbent government and supported PM Imran Khan’s stance for benefiting its workers after record profits.

The industrialists presented recommendations for increasing the exports, promotion of small and medium enterprises and improvements in the taxation system.