Ludhiana, June 25 -- The Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisation (FICO) has strongly opposed the Punjab cabinet's recent decision to double monthly contributions to the Punjab Labour Welfare Fund, calling it an unjust and unnecessary financial burden on both employers and employees.

On Friday, the cabinet approved a revision in contribution rates, raising the employee share from Rs.5 to Rs.10 and the employer share from Rs.20 to Rs.40 per month. While the government claims the move will strengthen worker welfare schemes, FICO has rejected the rationale, citing poor utilisation of existing funds.

"This increase serves no purpose when the current welfare fund has never been meaningfully used for labour benefit," said Gurmeet ...