Dear Editor,
I support the May Day call by Mr. Lincoln Lewis for a separate Ministry of Labour, as was the case under the previous PPP/C administration.
Labour is far too important to be subsumed under the rubric of a Department of a Ministry. It is the source of creation of all wealth. Workers are therefore entitled to a full Ministry to guard against the excesses of capital, be they private or public. People, and their labour, should not be treated simply as another factor of production but, more importantly the sole reason for the creation of all wealth.
According to economic theory, there is a natural tendency for capital to exploit labour and there is therefore a need for governments, in particular those that profess to be labour-oriented, to put in place strong mechanisms both at the legislative and executive levels to protect labour.
It does not follow that the creation of a new labour ministry necessarily entails adding to an already bloated ministerial bureaucracy. Several ministries, in particular the newly created Ministries can be integrated in the work of the more established Ministries.
By reducing labour to departmental status, the administration is in effect making a statement that labour is of secondary importance and that profits are more important than people.
Yours faithfully,
Hydar Ally
