LAHORE: The Punjab Information Commission, under direction of the Supreme Court, has notified transparency standards for the provincial labour and human rights department, asking it to immediately follow them in letter and spirit.

The direction is to make public majority of the information enlisted by the commission onthe department`s website to allow people easily access it.

Another direction is to periodically update the information.

If followed, the standards would end secrecy about the functions and powers of the department.

The list includes description and functions of offices, administrative units, training institutions and other establishments, publications, relevant laws, regulations, notifications and circulars, budget of the department as well as its attached institutions, including supplementary grants or re-appropriations, powers and functions of officers and employees, their ranks remuneration, perks and privileges, norms and criteria for the discharge of their functions.

The list also has a description of decision-making processes and any opportunities for the public to provide input into or be consulted about decisions, f acilities available, especially for the designated public information officers for provid-ing access to information to citizens, any survey reports about work places and factories, lists of shops employing people and relevant particulars (district-wise) updated list of registered factories and shops and establishments.

The other things on the list are: procedure of registration of industrial and commercial establishment under the Factory Act of 1934 and the Shop and Establishment Ordinance of 1969, updates about complaints related to wages, child labour, work conditions, and facilities for workers welfare, procedure of imposing and collecting fines, registration of trade unionsand the procedure of registration and particulars of relevant authorities.

It also includes names of registered trade unions along with relevant details, district and sector wise information about rallies, sit-ins, agitations, strikes and lock-outs, nature of conflicts and how many resolved, performance of the commissioners under the Workmen`s Compensation Act 1923 and the Payment of Wages Act 1936.

The department is also to display information about funds collected from factories and other establishments about dif ferent kinds of grants, benefits, scholarships and other f acilities.