Top officials from the Sindh and federal governments have initiated high-level talks to break the legal deadlock that has rendered billions in workers’ welfare and pension funds inaccessible, a situation currently preventing their effective use by either the provincial or federal authorities.

The matter was the central focus of deliberations between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, during a formal meeting at CM House.

According to information from Sindh Chief Minister House on Friday, the high-level discussion was also attended by Provincial Minister for Labour Saeed Ghani and Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, alongside Federal Secretary for Overseas Pakistanis Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry and other senior officials.

Chief Minister Shah argued that the devolution of the Employees’ Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and the Workers’ Welfare Fund (WWF) to the provinces is critical. He stated that transferring control of these finances would yield significant benefits for the labour force and ensure enhanced service delivery.

The Chief Minister highlighted that ongoing legal disputes have effectively frozen the funds, creating a stalemate where neither the federation nor the provinces can fully access them for their intended purpose. He emphasised that safeguarding the rights of workers is a joint constitutional obligation.

In response, Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik Hussain gave assurances that the outstanding issues would be settled through mutual consultation and consensus. He underscored the necessity of sustained coordination between the federal and provincial governments to effectively manage labour welfare matters.

As a way forward, it was decided that Federal Minister Chaudhry Salik and Provincial Labour Minister Saeed Ghani will hold subsequent meetings with their respective teams. These sessions will aim to further deliberate on the EOBI and WWF issues and formulate actionable recommendations.

Both delegations concurred that a joint strategy on institutional reforms is required and that dialogue is the most effective path to a resolution. They committed to steering these critical labour welfare matters towards a logical conclusion at the earliest opportunity.

The participants concluded by reaffirming their commitment to reinforcing collaboration between the federal and provincial governments for the protection of workers’ rights and the efficient implementation of labour welfare initiatives.