Business Community Call For Lockdown Caring For Workers' Livelihood, Exports

Business leaders representing different economic sectors, supporting federal and provincial governments' efforts to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, have called for revised strategy/model of lockdown allowing limited and well-monitored industrial and trade activity to provide space for continuity of workers' livelihood and to escape un-recoverable loss of exports

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Apr, 2020 ) :Business leaders representing different economic sectors, supporting Federal and provincial governments' efforts to contain spread of COVID-19 pandemic, have called for revised strategy/model of lockdown allowing limited and well-monitored industrial and trade activity to provide space for continuity of workers' livelihood and to escape un-recoverable loss of exports.

"Mismanaged and unsystematic lockdown in the city may lead to starvation of big number of industrial workers as industrialists shall not be capable to further support their workers without industrial and trade activity," they pleaded.

In their response to APP, they also called for utilization of funds under SESSI, EOBI and Workers Welfare Fund to support registered workers in this difficult situation facing the country.

They assured that the industrialists and exporters would abide by all safety measures recommended by World Health Organization to control spread of COVID-19 and would implement all standard operative procedures (SOPs) being devised by Sindh Government for industries and other businesses.

They claimed that Sindh Government was taking COVID-19 related decisions at its own without due representation of the industrial and trading community, which had created serious economic problems including sustainability of workers' livelihood and cancellation of export orders for non-shipment of the goods on schedule.

"After canceling their orders, foreign buyers will divert to other countries. And, it will take long time for Pakistan to recapture the lost export markets, along with putting big dent to the economy at present," said Muhammad Jawed Bilwani, a leading textile industrialist/exporter and Chief Coordinator of Council of Textile Associations of Pakistan.

He apprehended that the country would face shortage of home remittances if exports were not immediately resumed.

Patron-in-Chief of SITE Association of Industry and former president of Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Muhammad Zubair Motiwala alleged that Sindh Government while deciding to go for lockdown did not take the business community of the city into confidence.

"At least we would have informed about the lockdown three or four days before so that we could have taken certain steps to ourselves from loss to the possible extent," he remarked adding that due to sudden lockdown, big inventory of raw materials (especially in wet process in textile units) and of semi-finished goods vanished. Besides, he continued, finished goods could not be shipped to the exporters.

President, SITE Association of Industry, Suleman Chawla urged on the utilization of the funds with Sindh Social Security Institution, Employees Old-age Benefits Institution and Workers Welfare Fund for industrial workers to save them from starvation.

He pleaded that 16 to 17 thousand industries of Karachi had contributed billions of rupees on account of SESSI, EOBI and Workers Welfare Fund and this money was piled up in the banks. This was right time to utilize these funds to support the industrial workers.

Chawla said that SITE Association of Industry had set up "Rapid Response Team" to provide ration and medical facilities to the industrial workers at their doorsteps.

He said that millions of workers were dependent on the industries of Karachi and due to lockdown industrial activity was at stand still. If the same situation continued for next 10 to 15 days, industrialists would be unable to pay salaries and other benefits to their workers.