Minimum Wages for Unskilled Workers Ordinance, 1969.

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THE MINIMUM WAGES FOR UNSKILLED WORKERS 
ORDINANCE, 1969. 
 
 
 
 
 
CONTENTS 
                __________ 
 
SECTIONS: 
 
1. Short title, extent, commencement and application. 
2. Definitions. 
3. Minimum wages in commercial and industrial establishments. 
4. Responsibility for payment of minimum wages. 
5. Agreements under duress to be void. 
6. Effect of laws, orders, agreements, etc., inconsistent with this Ordinance. 
7. Penalty. 
8. Cognizance of offences. 
 
SCHEDULE 
Updated till 15.12.2021 

 
 
1THE 2* *MINIMUM WAGES FOR UNSKILLED WORKERS ORDINANCE, 1969  
(W.P. Ord. XX of 1969) 
[1st July, 1969] 
 
An Ordinance to fix the minimum rates of wages for unskilled workers employed in certain 
commercial and industrial establishment in 2* Pakistan. 
 
Preamble. WHEREAS it is expedient to fix the minimum rates of wages for unskilled 
workers employed in certain commercial and industrial establishments in 2* Pakistan; 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, in pursuance of the Martial Law Proclamation of 25th March, 1969, 
read with the provisional Constitution Order, the Administrator of Martial Law, Zone ‘A’, conferred 
on him by the President and Chief Martial Law Administrator, is pleased to make and promulgate the 
following Ordinance:― 
 
1. Short title, extent, commencement and application.―(1)This Ordinance may be called 
the 
2* * Minimum Wages for Unskilled Workers Ordinance, 1969. 
 
(2) It extends to the whole of 3[Pakistan]. 
 
(3) It shall be deemed to have come into force on and from the first day of July, 1969. 
 
(4) It shall apply to every commercial and industrial establishment 2* * *but shall not apply 
to― 
 
(a)  persons in the service of Pakistan, as defined in 4[Article 260 of the 
Constitution]; 
  
(b)  any establishment, undertaking or installation relating to the defence services, 
civil armed forces, postal, telegraph and telephone services, ports, railways, 
fire­fighting services, electricity, gas, water­supply, public conservancy and 
hospitals; and 
 
(c)  any establishment or undertaking, which Government, by notification in the 
official Gazette, declares to be engaged in a public utility service for the 
purposes of this Ordinance. 
 
2. Definitions. In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires— 
 
(a)  “apprentice” means a learner who is paid an allowance during the period of 
training; 
 
 
 
 
1This Ord., was promulgated by the Administrator Martial law, Zone ‘A’ on 25th August 1969 ; published in the W.P. Gazette 
(Extraordinary), dated 1st Sep., 1969, pages 1399­1403 ; saved by Article 281, of the Interim Constitution of Pakistan (1972) ; and, 
validated by Act LXIII of 1975. 
2Omitted, by Ord. LVII of 2001, ss 2 and 3 (w.e.f 1­8­2001) 
3Subs., for “the Province of West Pakistan, except the Tribal Areas”, by P. O. 4 of 1975. 
4Subs., ibid., for Article 242 of the constitution of 1962. 
 
 
(b)  “commercial establishment” means an establishment in which the business of 
advertising, commission or forwarding is conducted, or which is a commercial 
agency, and includes a clerical department of a factory or of any industrial or 
commercial undertaking, the office establishment of a person who for the 
purpose of fulfilling a contract with the owner of any commercial 
establishment or industrial establishment, employs workmen, a unit of a joint 
stock company, an insurance company, a banking company or a bank, a 
broker’s office or stock­exchange, a club, a hotel, a restaurant or an eating 
house, a cinema or theatre and such other establishment or class thereof, as 
Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare to be a 
commercial establishment for the purposes of this Ordinance; 
  
(c)  “employer” means a person owning or having charge of the business of a 
commercial or industrial establishment and includes an agent or manager or 
any other person acting on behalf of such person in the general management or 
control of such establishment; 
 
(d)  “Government” means the 1[Provincial Government] ; 
 
(e)  “industrial area” means the districts of Hyderabad, Lyallpur, Lahore, Multan 
and Sheikhupura and Kotri Taluka in Dadu District, and any other area which 
Government may, by notification in the official Gazette, declare to be an 
industrial area for the purposes of this Ordinance ; 
 
(f)  “industrial establishment” means 
 
(i)  a mine or quarry ; 
 
(ii)  a workshop or other establishment in which the work of making, 
altering, repairing, ornamenting, finishing or packing or otherwise 
treating any article or substance with a view to its use, sale, transport, 
delivery or disposal is carried on, or where any such service is 
rendered to a customer; and 
 
(iii)  any other establishment which Government may, by notification in the 
official Gazette declare to be an industrial establishment; 
 
(g)  “wages” means all cash remuneration payable to a workman, and includes 
dearness allowance, house­rent, conveyance allowance 2[,cost of living 
allowance, special allowances] and any other fixed allowance, but does not 
include travelling allowance, gratuity or bonus; 
 
(h)  “unskilled worker” means a worker employed to do unskilled labour ; and 
 
(i)  “worker” means any person employed in a commercial or industrial 
establishment. 
 
 
 
1Subs., for “Government of West Pakistan”, by P. O. 4 of 1975. 
2 Ins by Act IX of 1993, s 2 (w.e.f. 1­7­1992)  
 
 
3. Minimum wages in commercial and industrial establishments. Every unskilled worker, 
other than an apprentice, employed in a commercial or industrial establishment situated in an area 
specified in column 1 of the Schedule, shall be paid wages at a rate not lower than the minimum 
wages per month specified against such area in column 2 of the Schedule: 
 
Provided that where an employer provides housing accommodation to a worker, he may 
deduct from the wages of such a worker, an amount not exceeding that specified in column 3 of the 
Schedule and where the employer provides a worker with transport to and from the place of work, he 
may deduct from the wages of such a worker an amount not exceeding that specified in column 4 of 
the Schedule. 
 
1[Explanation.―In this section,― 
 
(i)  “month” means a normal working period of twenty­six days calculated 
at the rate of forty-eight hours of work per week; and 
 
2[(ii) “wages” include cost of living allowance as admissible under the 
Employees Cost of Living (Relief) Act, 1973 (1 of 1974), and special 
allowance announced by the Government, from time to time, before 
the commencement of the West Pakistan Minimum Wages for 
Unskilled Workers (Amendment) Ordinance, 2001.]] 
 
4. Responsibility for payment of minimum wages.―(1) Every employer shall be 
responsible for the payment of minimum wages required to be paid under this Ordinance to all 
unskilled workers employed, either directly or through a contractor, in his commercial or industrial 
establishment. 
 
(2) Where an unskilled worker employed in a commercial or industrial establishment to 
which this Ordinance applies has been paid wages for the month of July, 1969, at a rate less than the 
minimum rate of wages to which he is entitled under this Ordinance, the employer shall, within thirty 
days of the promulgation of this Ordinance, pay such worker the difference between the amount 
actually paid to him and the amount to which he is entitled under this Ordinance. 
 
5. Agreements under duress to be void. All agreements arrived at between the employers 
and the workers under duress at any time during the period from the 1st March, 1969 to the 25 th 
March, 1969, shall, with effect from the date of coming into force of this Ordinance, be void. 
 
Explanation.―In this section the words “under duress” include circumstances in which due 
to fear either party is in a state of mental incompetence to resist pressure improperly brought to bear 
due to violence or threat of violence. 
 
6. Effect of laws, orders, agreements, etc., inconsistent with this Ordinance.  The 
provisions of this Ordinance shall have effect notwithstanding anything inconsistent therewith 
contained in any other law or in any order or notification made or issued under any such law or in 
any award, agreement or contract of service: 
 
 
 
 
1 Subs. by Act IX of 1993, s. 3 (w.e.f. 1­7­1992). 
2 Subs., by Ord., LVII of 2001 s. 4 (w.e.f. 1­8­2001). 
 
 
Provided that where under any such law, order, notification, award, agreement or contract of 
service, other than an agreement declared to be void under section 5, an unskilled worker is entitled 
to wages which are higher than the minimum wages required to be paid under this Ordinance, he 
shall continue to be paid such higher wages 
 
7. Penalty. Any employer who contravenes any provisions of this Ordinance shall be 
punishable with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which 
may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both. 
 
8. Cognizance of offences. No Court shall take cognizance of any offence under this 
Ordinance save on a complaint made by an aggrieved worker or by an officer of a registered trade 
union of which such worker is a member, or any person authorised in this behalf by Government. 
 
1[SCHEDULE 
 
(See section 3) 
 
Area Rate of minimum wages per month Deduction for 
providing 
housing 
accommodation 
Deduction for 
providing 
transport 
(1) (2) (3) (4) 
Karachi Districts 2[8000 pm (w.e.f. 1st July, 2012 till 30th June, 
2013) 
Rs. 25/­ p.m. Rs. 10/­ p.m. 
Industrial area 10000 pm (w.e.f. 1st July, 2013 till 30th June, 2014) Rs. 20/­ p.m. Rs. 5/­ p.m. 
Other areas 12000 pm (w.e.f. 1st July, 2014 till 30th June, 2015) Rs. 13/­ p.m. Rs. 2/­ p.m.] 
 
13000 pm (w.e.f. 1st July, 2015)] 
  
 
 
  
 
 
1Subs. By Act IX of 1993, s. 4 (w.e.f. 1­7­1992). 
2Subs. By Act VII of 2016, s. 2.