05 February 2005	Saturday	25 Zilhaj 1425

ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The government must formulate adequate labour policies to recognize home-based women workers (HBWWs) under the laws by evidently giving due consideration to the gender nature of home-based work.

This was recommended in a policy research recently done by the National Commission on the Status of Women on "the status of home-based women workers in informal sector".

At present, the study showed, there was lack of government policies and programmes on home-based work; there was no legal status in informal sector of home-based workers in general and the HBWWs in particular.

Likewise, there had been no translation of the principles of policies as stated under article 37 and 38 of the Constitution, which provide for social security by compulsory group life insurance, maternity benefits for women in employment, promotion with special care, educational and economic interests, training and industrial development in labour policies.

Similarly, the policy research identified a large gap between formal and informal sector in terms of coverage and actual enforcement of labour laws. Also, the HBWWs have no formal platform to voice their problems. The government does not have statistics on the HBWWs coupled with lack of awareness and literacy among home-based workers.

In addition to this, the policy research noted that government authorities and policy makers were oblivious to the existence of home-based workers. This, it said, was the biggest hurdle in ensuring a better deal for these workers.

The study has recommended formulation of adequate labour laws to take into account women's roles initially as care providers at home and then workers. Accordingly, appropriate amendments to the existing framework must be initiated.

The study also stressed the need for devising a mechanism for registration of employees and employers, compilation of relevant information, including data of HBWWs and their employers, and monitoring the working conditions.

It also called for mainstreaming of the HBWWs in an appropriate manner. Own-account workers must be distinguished from sub-contract workers and policies for their mainstreaming and development be framed, it said. The own-account workers would require wide-range policy interventions to promote their knowledge and access to bargaining power in markets.

The government and civil society must also jointly facilitate setting up of women producers' associations at macro and micro level to enable them to voice their demands and bargain for better prices with middlemen involved in the marketing chain. It will also help in income generation and improvement of their products, the study said.

The women members of such associations must be facilitated in their access to the marketing information through use of new information/communication technologies and links to international market research channels, the study said.

In order to address the issues of own-account home-based women workers, amendments are suggested to the West Pakistan Maternity Benefit Ordinance, 1958; The Employees' Old Age Benefit Act, 1976; and the Provincial Employees' Social Security Ordinance, 1965.